COVID-19: UAE reports 'limited cases' of UK virus strain among overseas travellers

UAE has discovered a ‘limited number’ of cases infected with the new coronavirus variant, a government official said at a press conference on December 29. The strain was detected after the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) conducted at least  900,000 tests across the kingdom, of which the genome sequencing was performed on 8,491 positive diagnoses of the overseas travellers. The new confirmed cases also surged the country’s caseload to 204,369 as the year 2020 concludes. In the last 24 hours, at least 1,506 new coronavirus cases and 2 deaths were recorded in UAE. 

Announcing the entry of the more contagious COVID-19 mutant in the Gulf region, the official spokesman of the UAE government, Omar Al-Hammadi told a press conference that the health authorities have detected the UK strain among the travellers that had entered the county this past week. He, however, did not specify the exact figure and the location of these tourists, except that the cases with the new UK variant were isolated with immediate effect by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, according to sources of Gulf news outlets. Meanwhile, Oman's Health Minister Ahmed al-Saidi told Oman News Agency that the health authorities were also investigating 4 suspected COVID-19 UK variant cases in the country which are yet to establish.

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New Year celebration 'restrictions'

As the new variant enters the UAE, the Dubai Media Office released an integrated traffic plan drafted by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority to clamp the New Year’s Eve celebrations, closing the roads leading to the Burj Khalifa area where New year fireworks took place every year. The site and the nearby road networks were closed starting at 4 p.m. local time. “The Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall metro station will also be closed from 5 p.m. on Dec. 31 until 6 a.m. on Jan. 1,” the Dubai government announced in a release, adding that the Dubai Police Commander in Chief will review the security measures at the Burj Khalifa and Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd Room. The UAE had announced earlier that it was prepared to begin the mass distribution of 6 billion doses of the vaccine around the world, with the aim to increase it to 18 billion by the end of 2021.

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