As countries despair, UAE begins to reopen thanks to early action plan

BERLIN—Two months after the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic, it has become clear that some countries are handling the crisis better than others. With the wide spectrum of containment strategies at play, one pattern has emerged quite clearly: quick decisive responses succeeded in curbing the spread. Take Europe, for example, a continent where up until late March people could freely move from country to country. However, vastly diverging public health outcomes are now being witnessed. Italy and Spain have the most infections and considerably higher death rates than the rest of the continent. Both are examples of how failure to respond swiftly and enact restrictions lead to nearly uncontrollable outbreaks. Both countries had ample time to respond to the coronavirus. Spain’s first case was reported as far back as Jan. 31. An emergency meeting of Health Ministry officials chaired by its head Salvador Illa took place, yet no immediate measures were enforced. In retrospect, Spaniards could view their government's laxity as outright negligence. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, likely not wanting to upset citizens after narrowly forming a minority government, allowed business to continue as usual. Thousands were still attending soccer games in early March and a 120,000-strong feminist rally in Madrid proceeded unabated. Italy’s reaction to the outbreak showed little difference to its Spanish neighbour. Rome’s attempts to combat the spread were both weak and gradual. First isolating towns, then regions, and only then shutting down the entire country in an intentionally porous lockdown that always lagged behind the virus’s lethal trajectory. It took Italy until mid-March to place a full lockdown on 15 northern districts. Only recently, did Spain enact a similar countrywide lockdown. In Spain, police and drones now patrol the streets to enforce the new rules. In Italy, mayors are issuing draconian threats at citizens who refuse to comply with isolation policies. But even these drastic measures have been too little too late as both nations’ health-care systems are struggling to keep up with the mounting numbers of COVID-19 patients. Even locating the centres of breakout has become beyond the ability of authorities to keep up with. “Now we are running after it,” said Sandra Zampa, Italy’s undersecretary at the Ministry of Health. “We closed gradually, as Europe is doing. France, Spain, Germany, the U.S. are doing the same. Every day you close a bit.” Zampa ended her warning to fellow nations, urging them not to attempt to maintain a normal life. “The virus does not allow normal life.” In contrast to the situation in Europe, the handling of the pandemic by Gulf countries shows that COVID-19 can be contained with decisive and swift action. While these Gulf States like the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have smaller populations than most European nations, the infection rate per capita remains admirably low—particularly in the UAE where transit and tourist numbers are among the world’s highest. As soon as the Emirates identified the virus as a global health concern, it immediately ordered countrywide shutdowns. These included schools, nurseries, and all non-essential commercial activities. Even highly anticipated sporting events were ordered to be canceled for the good of public health—much to the dismay and frustration of the general public. Early on, UAE cities drastically ramped up their testing of citizens in order to track and trace infection clusters and prevent outbreaks from growing out of control. Both Kuwait and the UAE took the strict step of shutting down non-essential public gathering places completely, including beaches, parks, pools, cinemas, and gyms. In fact, Kuwait has gone to the extreme of implementing curfews in order to limit the spread. To combat violations of restrictions, harsh penalties have been declared—including fines and even jail time—for quarantine breakers and those infected who fail to report. The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has opened a mobile drive-through COVID-19 test facility for all community members as the UAE steps up measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak. The facility, situated in Sheikh Zayed Sports City, has been launched by the Abu Dhabi Health Services (SEHA) in collaboration with the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi. The facility runs twelve hours each day during which it provides services to around 600 people with priority given to senior citizens, pregnant women, and people with chronic diseases. It’s worth noting that despite the pandemic, the UAE has been offering a helping hand to countries in the region—even bitter foes. The UAE has already sent two shipments of medical supplies to Iran, whose citizens were hit particularly hard by the virus. “Providing life-saving assistance to those experiencing distress is essential to serving the common good,” the UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimy said in a statement. “The leadership and people stand shoulder to shoulder with nations in their time of need.” The tragedies of Italy and Spain now stand as warnings to their European neighbours and the United States where the country is heading towards a public health crisis. If Italy and Spain’s experiences show anything, it is that measures to isolate affected areas and limit the movement of the broader population need to be taken early, put in place with absolute clarity, and then strictly enforced. Indeed, the UAE did just this, and as a result Dubai will open again for tourism as early as July. Omer Demir is a Berlin-based political analyst and journalist specializing in Middle East conflict resolution. He works with various research institutions consulting on Middle East affairs. He holds a PhD in political science from the University of Mannheim. The Hill Times

As countries despair, UAE begins to reopen thanks to early action plan

In contrast to the situation in Europe, the handling of the pandemic by Gulf countries shows that COVID-19 can be contained with decisive and swift action.

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As countries despair, UAE begins to reopen thanks to early action plan

In contrast to the situation in Europe, the handling of the pandemic by Gulf countries shows that COVID-19 can be contained with decisive and swift action.

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