Web Report

New penalties and violations may be introduced to stop the spread of Covid-19, a senior UAE official has warned. The announcement came as the UAE observed a surge in Covid-19 cases in the past five days mainly due to non-compliance with precautionary measures outlined by the country, said authorities.

Salem Al Zaabi, acting chief prosecutor of the Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee at the Public Prosecution, on Friday said that the introduction of new violations would depend on the circumstances and how urgently they are needed.

Speaking during a live broadcast of the UAE government’s ‘Commit to Win’ campaign, Al Zaabi said the new violations will be introduced in coordination with the competent authorities. We are ready, however, to face any developments.”

Earlier in the day another live broadcast saw Dr Omar Al Hammadi, official spokesperson for the UAE Government, urge the public to cooperate and stick to the Covid-19 precautionary measures outlined by the UAE government.

Dr Hammadi said people must abide by these basic precautions that include social distancing, disinfection, wearing of face masks in public. “These steps have all proven efficient in stopping the spread of Covid-19 and we have witnessed their efficiency indeed.”

Dr Al Hammadi added: “If we want to show appreciation for the efforts of the frontline medical workers, respect for the victims and the patients, we have all to stick to the preventive measures to flatten the curve until a vaccine and a medication are available.”

He pointed out that the achievements, accomplished so far, have been tough. “We hope to keep those achievements. We have all to comply with the safety rules, if we want the wheel of economy to keep going, our children to go back to schools, if we want to travel again and if we want the leisure centres to stay open.”

On Thursday, Dr Saif Al Dhaheri, spokesman for National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA), had warned that the National Sterilisation Programme could return if the number of coronavirus Covid-19 cases kept increasing.

He said: “It is possible to reinstate the national sterilisation programme in some areas if there are high numbers of Covid-19 cases.”

The UAE had completed its national sterilisation programme on June 24 and lifted all movement restrictions. The country-wide program, which was launched on March 26 to fight the coronavirus, saw a complete sterilisation of all facilities in the UAE including public transportation, streets and other public areas.