Road map to easing Covid-19 curbs

Role of the general public to overcome the pandemic cannot be underestimated

As countries around the world gradually relax Covid-19 related rules, the UAE has announced the cancellation of coronavirus restrictions on attendance capacity for activities and events in all economic and tourist facilities, shopping malls and transportation modes, to operate at full capacity by mid-February.

The easing of restrictions has come as a result of the decline in the number of daily detected infections in the UAE which point to an improvement in the overall epidemiological situation. The daily Covid-19 figures have declined markedly in recent weeks — from an 11-month high of 3,116 infections on January 15 to 1,395 yesterday. The authorities have hailed the public as the cornerstone of the recovery from the pandemic. The UAE’s massive investments in health care, rapid response from health authorities and high levels of testing and vaccination have been instrumental in dealing with coronavirus.

Overall, Omicron appears to be causing less severe disease than the previous Covid variants and governments around the world are taking cautious steps towards reopening national economies.

Bahrain is opening all activities and business sectors for vaccinated and unvaccinated people from February 15. In Europe, the UK is lifting almost all remaining coronavirus restrictions, dropping its guidance on wearing face masks on public transportation and in classrooms, encouraging workers to return to their offices.

Other European powers are following suit. The Dutch government is easing its Covid-19 restrictions while France has relaxed Covid travel restrictions for people arriving from the UK. The move could mean a big boost for cross-Channel transport operators.

With a drop in coronavirus infections and hospitalisations, several US states, including Nevada, New York and Illinois have ended mask mandates for indoor settings. In Asia, top economies like India have announced it no longer requires pre-departure RT-PCR for those fully vaccinated in 82 countries.

However, the public must not lower its guard and continue to abide by key safety measures to ensure that the journey to normality is as smooth as possible.

While government and health authorities in the UAE are doing their utmost to address the pandemic’s repercussions, ultimately the role of general public to overcome the Covid-19 crisis cannot be underestimated.