Since the appearance of the first cases at the end of January, the UAE started to adopt appropriate measures in order to slow down the diffusion of the virus and safeguard the well-being of people living in the country.
80% of the private sector office workers in Dubai were asked to work from home since the 25th of March and people are required special permits issued by the police in order to leave their homes.
In fact, Dubai has implemented an efficient lockdown system aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Thanks to the Government’s past investments in smart cities and online infrastructures, UAE residents benefit from a vast array of online Government services which assure continuity and resilience even when social distancing measures are in place. For example, the new online movement permit facility to leave home during the lockdown and the DubaiNow app that gives access to 85 services from one’s personal devices.
Moreover, the Government invested heavily in a disinfection program, which entails complete sterilization of all public utilities, public transport, and metro services.
Since March 8th, UAE schools and universities have started offering their services through online distant learning as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of students.
In addition to Government measures, the Emirati scientific research community is making important progress in the struggle against COVID-19: Dubai’s COVID-19 Command and Control Center announced the UAE’s first full genome sequencing of the COVID-19 virus on April 15th.
This finding will help scientists get a better understanding of how the virus spreads, thus shedding light on the best measures to eradicate the disease.
On the latest UAE Cabinet Meeting His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai has approved the formation of specific taskforces to support the agricultural sector, develop government human resources, and invest in government buildings with the possibility of converting them into medical facilities.
New Dates for Expo Dubai
The Executive Committee of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), responsible for the organization of EXPO 2020 Dubai, has agreed to discuss a one-year postponement, with the new opening date being set on the 1st of October 2021.
However, the decision is not yet definitive, as this measure needs to be approved by two-thirds of the member states of the BIE. The voting will take place remotely from the 24th of April until the 29th of May.
Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “We welcome today’s recommendation of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Executive Committee to support a request by the UAE Government and Expo 2020’s Steering Committee to postpone Expo 2020 for a year”.
The new dates will make possible to host a truly inclusive Expo, and the event itself will be a great opportunity to bring again humanity together with a renewed faith in a brighter future.
How Translators and Interpreters Can Support You During COVID-19
Resilience is the key to face this challenge and the pandemic should not stop international dialogue and more importantly solidarity. No matter where you are in the world or if you’re working from home, we are continuing to offer localization and remote interpreting services to cover your urgent language requests.
Until the special measures against COVID 2019 are withdrawn, Langpros decided to offer FREE remote interpreting services to hospitals, clinics, and government bodies that are engaged in the fight against Coronavirus in the UAE.
As a Dubai-based Language Service Provider, we have two priorities: guaranteeing our employees’ safety and supporting companies, organizations, and individuals facing language barriers, especially during this challenging time.
Langpros’ team of project managers and collaborators from all over the world operates mostly from remote since the foundation of the Company. We are very aware of how important social distancing measures are now to halt the spread of COVID-19 and we will do our utmost to continue ensuring safety and productivity.
Today, employees at the Dubai Headquarters work from home in order to avoid unnecessary exposure while our delocalized team and our medical and legal certified linguists continue granting language services on a global scale 24/7.
