NCEMA announces resumption of sporting competitions around UAE

ABU DHABI - The National Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, NCEMA, announced the resumption of sporting competitions around the country, as part of the UAE Government’s efforts to resume activities in all sectors while maintaining adherence to the highest standards of safety and relevant preventive measures, to protect the health and safety of community members.

This statement was made during a media briefing held by the UAE Government to present the developments to the efforts aimed at countering the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Saif Al Daheri, Official Spokesperson of the NCEMA, stated that the UAE Government has always been keen to involve all members of the community in the safe return to normalcy, by raising their awareness about the importance of adhering to appropriate preventive measures when resuming various activities.

Updating the guidelines and protocols necessary for the resumption of sporting activities was based on studying actual outcomes and adopting the best international standards, Al Dhaheri added, noting that medical teams and contact centres managed by sports federations will be present at events.

He also pointed out that the NCEMA has cooperated with several partners to develop guidelines and protocols for countering the spread of the virus in sectors that will resume operations, including the economic, aviation, government and education sectors.

Speaking about the efforts to monitor adherence to instructions and detect violators, Al Dhaheri affirmed that the recent rise in daily infections around the country led to the tightening of precautionary measures related to individuals and institutions, and greater monitoring of violations and behaviours that negatively affect the health and safety of the community.

Al Dhaheri announced that 24,894 violations were recorded around the country from 1st to 15th September, noting that the most common violation is refraining from wearing face masks, followed by the lack of adherence to instructions related to the number of persons allowed in one vehicle, and the lack of respect for social distancing and adherence to precautionary measures, and finally random gatherings.

Al Dhaheri stressed that residents of Asian nationalities are the most likely to commit these violations by a rate of 81 percent, followed by residents of Arab nationalities by 19 percent. Concerning the distribution of violations around the country, the highest number was in Dubai, followed by Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Umm Al Qaiwain and Ras Al Khaimah.

During the briefing, Dr. Omar Abdulrahman Al Hammadi, Official Spokesman of the UAE Government, presented various figures and statistics about the national health situation over the past week from 23rd to 29th September, 2020.

Al Hammadi noted that 668,377 laboratory tests were completed during this period, which revealed 6,643 positive cases or equivalent to one percent of total tests, compared to 0.8 percent in the previous week. By comparing these figures to some international rates, the infection rate for every 100 people is 9.6, compared to 150 for every 100,000 people.

Males accounted for 62 percent of total confirmed cases while females accounted for 38 percent. Concerning age groups, the figures highlighted the fact that 58 percent of positive cases are between 25 and 44 years of age. Statistics also revealed that the death rate increased during this period from 0.01 percent to 0.03 percent.

Al Hammadi addressed the issue of exposure, given its major importance and the necessity of addressing it from all dimensions to avoid the virus being transmitted. He defined an "exposed person" as one who has been exposed to another person who contracted the virus by a distance of less than two metres and for at least 15 minutes.

Al Hammadi said that exposure is calculated two days before the infected person shows any symptoms, and in case they do not show any symptoms, it is calculated two days before the infected person is tested.

Relevant authorities are tracking all potentially exposed persons to verify their safety, he added, noting that the tracking process is not an easy one and relevant authorities prioritise those who are close to the infected. He further added that exposed persons suffering from chronic diseases are also being monitored, as they might experience serious complications.

Al Hammadi urged exposed people to self-isolate for two weeks after being in contact with any person who contracted the virus, even if they do not have any symptoms or if their test results are negative, affirming that they should postpone any activities that require meeting other people, travel and visiting family members until they complete their quarantine period and verify that they are virus-free.