Before the Omicron variant emerged, the UAE had managed to keep cases under control for most of 2021, but new virus cases have risen to more than 2,500 a day in recent weeks.
The United Arab Emirates does not intend to return to a full lockdown despite a rise in Covid-19 cases, and will focus on testing and vaccination to keep its economy open, its trade minister has said, a report in The Peninsula says.
European nations have tightened virus restrictions as infections rise and the omicron variant spreads. But the UAE has kept all such disruptions to a minimum, holding major conferences, concerts and events.
Before the omicron strain emerged, the UAE had managed to keep cases under control for most of 2021, but new virus cases have risen to more than 2,500 a day in recent weeks.
“Omicron is way less impactful than the delta (variant) and even during delta we haven’t locked down the country. The balance has been there throughout the omicron for sure and with any future variants when it comes to corona, we will not go back to the full lockdown of the country,” Thani Al-Zeyoudi, the minister of state for foreign trade, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.
In October, Middle East business hub Dubai launched its Expo 2020, one of the biggest physical gatherings since the pandemic, hoping the six-month extravaganza would attract millions of visitors and boost an economy battered by years of low oil prices and the devastating impact of the pandemic on trade and travel.
With Expo, the UAE is showing that “the world cannot continue with this lockdown. We have to come back to the norm ASAP,” he said.
The UAE expects its economy to grow 4.2% this year, boosted by a rebound in oil and recovery from the pandemic. While cases in the UAE have risen from below 100 at the end of 2021,the number of deaths from the disease has remained low, with more than 90% of the population fully vaccinated and boosters being rolled out.
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