Preventive Procedures Implemented By UAE Reflect Post-Coronavirus Reality

The set of procedures implemented by the UAE during its hosting of several events this year and its future agenda for the Expo 2020 Dubai reflect its post-coronavirus (COVID-19) reality.

Despite the dire conditions witnessed by many regions around the world resulting from the pandemic, the UAE managed to draft a road to recovery, by implementing several steps that helped it identify how to return to normalcy in several sectors.

The UAE is currently witnessing the outcomes of its proactive plans, which include enlarging the scope of beneficiaries of its vaccination campaign. The country has now vaccinated 78.11 percent of those eligible to take the vaccine and has performed over 49 million coronavirus tests.

The health and organisational protocols enforced by the UAE covering the education, health, aviation and hotel sectors have earned the world’s confidence and ensured its ability to host major international events.

Its prominent tourism stature has also been a key factor that has made it a favourite destination for major events in various sectors.

The country has hosted many global sports, economic, cultural and artistic events while the flexibility of its visa and residence procedures has made it a preferred destination for many international celebrities.

In 2021, the UAE organised several leading events, including the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) and the Naval Defence and Maritime Security Exhibition (NAVDEX), the Gulfood exhibition, the UAE Tour and the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.

The country’s international centres that specialise in hosting major events, such as the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and the Expo Sharjah Centre, play a key role in maintaining the country’s capacity to organise international events throughout the year.

Moreover, the UAE was ranked 11th globally and first in the Arab region in the Bloomberg index of the most resilient countries that managed the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, achieving 66.4 points in March 2021.The COVID-19 Resilience Ranking uses a wide range of data to capture where the pandemic is being handled most effectively, with the least social and economic disruption from mortality and testing rates to vaccine access and freedom of movement.

The UAE achieved this advanced rank due to the timely and strict procedures it adopted at the start of the pandemic, which efficiently countered the virus while minimally disrupting businesses and society. The death rate from the virus in the UAE is also among the lowest in the world.