UAE sees lowest cases; 94% happy with anti-virus steps
Unvaccinated people will also not be eligible to enter shopping malls, use public transport or travel by air ater the Sept.30 deadline: Umar; educational institutions to reopen on Thursday
ABU DHABI: The UAE has recorded its lowest number of new daily coronavirus cases this year on Tuesday.
It was reported by the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) on Tuesday.
According to the survey, conducted by the UAE Ministry of Community Development, showed that 90 per cent supported gradual return to mosques and places of worship, 79 per cent supported a 100 per cent return to the workplace, and 73 per cent supported the return to schools.
As for the initiatives and measures taken by UAE government in the pandemic recovery phase, the percentage of optimism increased to 94 per cent in August 2021, compared to 34 per cent in April 2020.
According to the latest statistics of the NCEMA, the Ministry of Health and Prevention ( MOHAP) announced that it conducted 351,718 additional COVID-19 tests across the country in the last 24 hours out of which 617 returned positive. MOHAP also registered 714 recoveries and two deaths due to coronavirus.
On weekly briefing on coronavirus, the NCEMA have also announced that over 90 per cent of the population have received one dose of a virus vaccine, while 79.33 per cent have been fully inoculated in the UAE.
The UAE has been leading the way in vaccination its entire population against the coronavirus, with over 18.8 million doses already administered.
MOHAP also reported that 75,598 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the past 24 hours.
On Monday, the Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Commitee announced that the new positive virus cases in the UAE capital have fallen to 0.2 per cent. The health authorities said the low infection rate was achieved because of stringent COVID-19 safety measures and a rigorous testing regime in the capital.
WARNING FOR UNVACCINATED: Pakistan’s National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) chief and Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar has warned that people who are not vaccinated will not be allowed to work from offices ater this month.
In a televised message on Tuesday, Asad said unvaccinated people will also not be eligible to enter shopping malls, use public transport or to travel by air ater the Sept.30 deadline.
The minister said about 52% of the adult population in Islamabad had been vaccinated and other cities should also try to vaccinate at least 40% of their eligible population as soon as possible to avoid lockdowns and COVID-19 related restrictions.
Asad also announced that educational institutions in five districts of Punjab and one distinct in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will reopen from Sept.16.
Moreover, he announced that the lockdown across the entire country has been extended till Sept.30.
ALL STUDENTS PASSED: Meanwhile, the Inter-provincial Education Ministers Conference presided over by Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood announced that all Pakistani students will be declared pass in the results of the board examinations and 33 per cent marks will be awarded to them if they fail in any subject.
Mahmood said 33 per cent marks would be awarded in each subject, which a student was unable to clear. He said all decisions related to exams and results had been taken unanimously in the meeting.
SAVED OVER 100,000 LIVES: British officials say COVID-19 vaccines have saved more than 112,000 lives and averted 24 million cases of the disease as they recommended all vulnerable people, frontline health staff and those aged over 50 be offered a booster shot.
The Joint Commitee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s recommendation of a third dose six months ater a second shot, paves the way for a broad revaccination programme in Britain, which has one of the world’s highest death tolls from COVID-19.
Putinself-isolates:russianpresidentvladimir Putin is self-isolating as a precaution ater several members of his entourage fell ill with Covid-19, but is “absolutely” healthy and does not have the disease himself, according to the Kremlin.
Putin, 68, will therefore not travel to Tajikistan this week for planned regional security meetings which he will take part in by video conference instead.
Kremlinspokesmandmitrypeskovtoldreporters that Putin had been in touch with several people in his entourage who had fallen ill with COVID-19. “Of course we know who fell ill in the president’s entourage and the self-isolation [regime] does not directly affect the president’s work,” said Peskov.
LOCKDOWN EASED: The Philippines will ease coronavirus restrictions in the capital Manila to spur economic activity, officials said on Tuesday, despite record infection numbers and a warning from the World Health Organisation (WHO) against the move.
Restaurants, churches and beauty salons in the national capital region will open at lower capacities from Thursday to get tens of thousands more people back to work.
Planning Minister Asad Umar has warned that people who are not vaccinated will not be allowed to work from offices ater this month.
In a televised message on Tuesday, Umar said unvaccinated people will also not be eligible to enter shopping malls, use public transport or to travel by air ater the Sept.30 deadline.
Umar also asked people to keep social distancing in comments that came hours ater Pakistan reported a steady decline in cases of coronavirus.
Umar said about 52% of the adult population in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, had been vaccinated and other cities should also try to vaccinate at least 40% of their eligible population as soon as possible to avoid lockdowns and COVID-19 related restrictions.
Pakistan has reported 1.2 million COVID-19 cases and nearly 27,000 deaths since the pandemic began last year.
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) also announced that educational institutions in five districts of Punjab and one distinct in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will reopen from Sept.16.
The NCOC had earlier placed strict restrictions on 24 districts throughout the country, Umar said, adding that out of these, strict restrictions will only be imposed in six districts while the rest have been allowed relaxation.
Meanwhile, it was reported that all students will be declared pass in the results of the board examinations and 33% marks will be awarded to them if they fail in any subject.
The Inter-provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) presided over by Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood has taken this decision.
All education ministers were of the opinion that since students had faced difficulties in preparing for their matriculation and intermediate exams during the COVID-19 pandemic, they should be given the concession.
Mahmood said 33% marks would be awarded in each subject, which a student was unable to clear. He said all decisions related to exams and results had been taken unanimously in the meeting.
“Education ministers including Sindh, participated in the meeting (physically and online) and took decisions,” the federal minister said, adding that there would be no reduced syllabus anymore and exams would be held as per schedule.
“I would request students to fully focus on their studies as there would be no reduced syllabus this academic session,” he said.
Officials said the IPMEC decided that the academic session would now commence throughout Pakistan from August every year while board exams would be conducted in May-june instead of March-april. The current academic year also started from August and the board exams held in May-june.
However, officials said that the Sindh education minister differed with the decision. He stated that the provincial government would deliberate upon the issue and take a decision accordingly.
They said that since it has become difficult to hold regular classes of students, the decision to pass them has been taken.
Earlier, Special Assistant on Health Dr Faisal Sultan has urged the nation to wear masks and follow SOPS of social distancing to control the spread of coronavirus. Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad on Monday, he said that we cannot remove masks yet.
The special assistant said strengthening health institutions will benefit the coming generations.
Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid said that vaccination is a must to control the spread of coronavirus as COVID-19 vaccines are very effective against the disease.
As per details, Rashid chaired a meeting to review coronavirus situation in the province and facilities in hospitals in this regard.
During the meeting, Rashid stressed there is no shortage of beds and oxygen in the hospitals but reiterated need of vaccination and revealed that 87 per cent patients in the hospitals are unvaccinated.
Also on Monday, the US Consul General Mark Stroh and Sindh Minister of Health and Population Welfare, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho welcomed the arrival of 320,580 new Pfizer vaccine doses sent by the United States through the Covax facility to the people of Sindh.