Senior UAE officials praise Alhosn’s pivotal role during reopening of activities
ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 16th Jun, 2020) Alhosn app’s media team organised today a virtual roundtable with senior representatives from the country’s health, economic, real estate, retail, and logistics sectors to discuss the plans they are implementing to ensure the safe reopening of activities and return to workplaces.
The roundtable included Rashed Abdul Karim Al Balooshi, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Ports, Talal Al Dhiyebi, Chief Executive Officer of Aldar Properties; and Dr. Farida Al Hosani, official spokesperson for the UAE health sector. The roundtable was moderated by Faisal Bin Huraiz.
Dr. Farida Al Hosani emphasised the vital role of Alhosn app in the resumption of business activities, easing of restrictions and return to workplaces. She explained that using Alhosn app increases user confidence in terms of safely returning to the workplace and public places, while remaining reassured that their family and colleagues are protected.
Praising the close cooperation between the business sectors and various government entities, and its importance, Dr. Al Hosani said: "The cooperation and joining efforts between the business and health sectors have become a crucial necessity rather than just a ‘nice to have’. Only through collective action are we able to protect the members of our community, as well as plan and prepare for any future crisis or challenge."
Commenting on making Alhosn app mandatory, Dr. Al Hosani stated that, "The UAE did not impose the use of Alhosn app on individuals and institutions due to the government's confidence in the high level of awareness within the population of this crucial matter and its trust that there is a joint sense of responsibility shared by the various segments of our community, regardless of their nationalities or backgrounds. The government considers downloading and using Alhosn app as the civil duty of every individual." She also stated that the effectiveness of the application relies on its level of penetration within the population, as a higher number of users improves the efficiency of the contact tracing feature.
Rashed Abdul Karim Al Balooshi, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development said, "As government and private sector employees prepares to return to working from their offices after more than three months of working remotely, their return will be different in light of the challenges imposed by COVID-19. With that being said, we are not speaking strictly about the preventive measures and procedures to be implemented, but rather the new work culture that requires employees to be innovative and driven to accomplish their goals in the timeliest and safest way, as well as add value to their workforce with their ambition for achieving new milestones and through utilising smart technical tools that enable them to interpret the goals of the institution and execute its projects with distinction and high quality.
"The global crisis of COVID-19 has made us reassess our strategic goals by focusing on achieving self-sufficiency in our basic needs and relying on our resources and cadres.
Our path towards achieving economic development has become mainly reliant on supporting and developing essential industries, as well as prioritizing the role of the citizens in the process. The Department of Economic Development has already taken its first steps towards change and keeping pace with the current environment through the implementation of a series of initiatives and projects that will contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of doing business in Abu Dhabi and empowering private sector companies as major drivers of the emirate’s local economy."
Talal Al Dhiyebi, Chief Executive Officer, Aldar Properties, said: "The critical, proactive steps taken by our wise leadership have paved the way for the business sector to regain momentum and begin recovery within a framework of strict protocols outlined by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development and the Department of Culture and Tourism. We are proud that Aldar was part of a working group that supported both Departments in defining a set of precautionary measures that would ensure a safe and sound environment for staff and visitors alike – a commitment we have fully adhered to before the reopening of our hotels and shopping malls. As the momentum continues in the local economy, and many businesses gear toward returning to the workplace, Alhosn app provides an important enabler of enhancing people’s trust in the possibility of a safe return while continuing to protect their families and colleagues."
Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Group Chief Executive Officer, Abu Dhabi Ports said: "Abu Dhabi Ports has showcased its agility and responsiveness in the challenging fight against COVID-19. By implementing our business continuity comprehensive strategy, we are ensuring that our operations are continuing at pace with minimal disruption across all assets. Our hard-working teams are operating around the clock to provide our nation with the needed goods and products, including essential food items and healthcare supplies, and are supporting global trade and business via our highly advanced logistics infrastructure."
"Although the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting global markets, we remain optimistic and believe that the UAE’s economy is well positioned for recovery. Supported by our wise leadership’s vision embodied in the strategic investment in digital transformation, automation and promotion of a risk management culture amongst business sectors, we are contributing towards our collective efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic."
Commenting on the importance of the Alhosn, Al Shamisi added: "The fight against COVID-19 requires the cooperation of all community members, and a great responsibility lies upon all of us to support the government’s efforts in overcoming this challenge."
The full discussion roundtable can be viewed on Alhosnapp social media channels.