UAE to waive visa fines over coronavirus outbreak

Saudi Arabia also steps up COVID-19 fight

DUBAI/RIYADH: The United Arab Emirates will reinforce its stockpile of strategic goods and will waive residency visa fines for the rest of the year in response to the coronavirus outbreak, its vice president said on Sunday.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who is also the UAE prime minister and ruler of Dubai, the region's tourism and business hub, did not say what goods were included in the stockpile or give further details on the visa fine waiver.

Meanwhile, Dubai imposed a two-week lockdown from Saturday night and Saudi Arabia sealed off parts of the Red Sea city of Jeddah as Gulf states tightened measures in big cities to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Dubai had been under an overnight curfew along with the rest of United Arab Emirates since March 26 but its Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management said the lockdown would now run around the clock for two weeks, state news agency WAM said.

COVID-19 fears: Underwhelming year for NA at risk of remaining incomplete

In neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the authorities announced a lockdown and a partial curfew in seven neighbourhoods of Jeddah also starting on Saturday as part of measures to contain the outbreak, the interior ministry said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia is the worst hit country by the pandemic in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) group of Arab oil monarchies. It had reported 2,179 cases of confirmed infections up until Saturday and 29 deaths.

In Dubai, mobility will be restricted and legal action taken against violators though supermarkets and pharmacies as well as food and drug delivery services would continue to operate as normal, WAM said.

People can only leave their homes except for essential purposes and just one family member is permitted to go out at any one time. People working in vital sectors, or those exempted from the restrictions, will not be affected.

Dubai’s metro and tram service will be suspended for two weeks and free bus transportation and a 50% discount on taxi rides will be offered during the lockdown. The UAE recommends that people wear masks when leaving home, a health ministry spokeswoman told a news conference on TV.

Dr Sania Nishtar urges ‘deserving’ to check eligibility for cash grant

The oil-rich federation, where infected cases have jumped by 840 since April, also extended its de facto overnight curfew indefinitely to disinfect public areas by spraying streets, parks and public transport facilities.

Kuwait and Oman are the GCC countries least affected by the pandemic. Oman had reported 277 cases and one death up until Saturday while Qatar last updated its official COVID-19 page on Friday, reporting 1,075 cases and three deaths.