UAE launches nationwide disinfection drive
The UAE will impose overnight curfews as a temporary measure this weekend, when it carries out a nationwide disinfection campaign to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
The regional business hub, which has confirmed 333 cases of the virus and two deaths, has not announced an official curfew or work suspension but has increasingly clamped down on movement. Authorities announced that the UAE will restrict movement of traffic and people overnight from Thursday until Sunday. The restrictions will last from 8 p.m. (1600 GMT) to 6 a.m.
Only essential service workers would be allowed out and violators will face fines, a security forces spokesman said on Thursday. Public transport including trams and metro services will be suspended, while private cars, cabs and delivery vehicles can operate outside those hours.
The UAE has slowly followed other Gulf states in suspending passenger flights and closing public venues such as restaurants and malls. Dubai emirate on Wednesday directed the private sector to implement remote working for most staff but exempted a broad spectrum of businesses.
Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar also saw more cases, taking the total in the six Gulf states to over 2,600, with nine deaths. Bahrain and Kuwait have announced prisoner releases.
Bahrain continued to evacuate several hundred Bahrainis stranded in Iran, which is an epicenter for the disease in the region.
A second repatriation flight of around 60 Bahrainis arrived overnight from the Iranian city of Mashhad, operated by Iranian airline Kish, families and a Bahraini official said.
Bahrain earlier this month repatriated 165 people, but a number of subsequent scheduled flights were cancelled. At least 85 of the first batch of evacuees tested positive for the virus.
The island state, which has reported 419 coronavirus cases and 4 deaths, most of them linked to travel to Iran, has criticized the Islamic Republic for not stamping Bahraini citizens’ passports.