ICA not to allow unvaccinated people; Jordan to jab kids; Lebanon in a spot
ABU DHABI: The UAE Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) said new precautionary measures and procedures will be applied on clients and visitors from Aug.1 (Sunday).
The ICA said that, as of Sunday, Aug.1, with the exception of the authority’s employees, all other persons will not be allowed to enter the headquarters of ICA and its centres, except for those who received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, or for those who has a negative result of PCR, valid for not more than 48 hours.
Unvaccinated persons who obtained an exception from the competent health authorities, provided that the negative result of PCR is valid for not more than 48 hours are also allowed. The ICA noted that those under the age of 16 are excluded from the decision.
UAE CASES: The Ministry of Health and Prevention ( MOHAP) on Saturday announced 1,507 new coronavirus cases and three deaths in the UAE. MOHAP noted that an additional 1,455 individuals had fully recovered from coronavirus.
The UAE sent a plane carrying 56 tonnes of medical supplies, including oxygen cylinders, respiratory equipment and COVID-19 vaccines, to Indonesia, in support of the national efforts there to combat and contain the spread of the pandemic.
The UAE also sent an aid plane carrying nine tonnes of medical supplies, testing kits, ventilators and COVID-19 vaccines to Rwanda.
ANTI-LOCKDOWN PROTESTS: Thousands of people took to the streets of Sydney and other Australian cities on Saturday to protest lockdown restrictions amid another surge in cases, and police made several arrests ater crowds broke through barriers and threw plastic botles and plants.
Organisers had dubbed the protest a “freedom” and “the truth” rally and publicised it on social media pages frequently used to spread vaccine disinformation and conspiracy theories.
The unmasked participants carried signs and banners reading “Wake up Australia” and “Drain the Swamp” — echoing messages seen in similar demonstrations overseas.
In Melbourne, thousands of protesters without masks turned out downtown chanting “freedom.” Some of them lit flares as they gathered outside Victoria state’s Parliament House.
They held banners, including one that read: “This is not about a virus it’s about total government control of the people.”
A car protest rally is also planned in Adelaide, which is also under lockdown, with police warning they will make arrests over unlawful activity.
New South Wales Police said it recognised and supported the rights of free speech and peaceful assembly, but the protest was a breach of public health orders. “The priority for NSW Police is always the safety of the wider community,” a police statement said.
The protest comes as COVID-19 case numbers in the state reached another record with 163 new infections in the last 24 hours.
“We live in a democracy and normally I am certainly one who supports people’s rights to protest ... but at the present time we’ve got cases going through the roof and we have people thinking that’s OK to get out there and possibly be close to each other at a demonstration,” said state Health Minister Brad Hazzard.
Jordan will start vaccinating children aged 12 years and older against COVID-19 from Sunday, the state news agency said on Saturday.
Children can be given the Pfizer-biontech vaccine with the approval of a guardian with no prior appointment necessary, the agency quoted the health ministry as saying.
LEBANON CRISIS: Lebanon’s deepening economic crisis has piled pressure on hospitals, leaving them ill-equipped to face any new wave of the coronavirus, a top hospital director has warned. Already struggling with shortages of medicine and an exodus of staff abroad, the country’s health facilities are now also having to contend with almost round-the-clock power cuts.
“All hospitals... are now less prepared than they were during the wave at the start of the year,” said Firass Abiad, the manager of the largest public hospital in the country batling Covid.
“Medical and nursing staff have let, medicine that was once available has run out,” and ever lengthening cuts to the mains power supply have let hospitals under constant threat. Even the Rafik Hariri University Hospital he runs has been struggling to cope.
UNVACCINATED SWIMMER: A debate is brewing between former gold medalist Maya Dirado and some American swimmers over US medal threat Michael Andrew’s decision not to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus as he prepares to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.
Dirado sparked the discourse this week with a lengthy thread on Twiter in which she wrote that she’s “disappointed” in Andrew’s decision to compete unvaccinated and his reasoning behind it.
Andrew revealed earlier this month that he isn’t vaccinated ater being asked about his status by a reporter.
“My reason behind it is, for one, it was kind of a last moment, I didn’t want to put anything in my body that I didn’t know how I would potentially react to,” he said. Andrew said he has no plans to be vaccinated in the future.