ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 20th Sep, 2021) A UAE newspaper has commended the Abu Dhabi Authorities' announcement on Saturday that they would no longer require people to get tested for coronavirus before they enter the capital from other emirates. After a temporary but necessary measure, movement across the seven emirates is once more free-flowing and without restrictions.
"Last week, the journey for people travelling from Dubai to Abu Dhabi was very different," said The National in its editorial on Monday.
The paper said, "This happens as Abu Dhabi bids farewell to another previously necessary measure. People coming from abroad to visit the emirate will no longer have to wear a medical-grade tracking wristband, which had been mandatory for the vast majority of arrivals.
"This all comes after a record low in case numbers. As of last week, just 0.2 percent of people tested in Abu Dhabi were found to have the virus."
Caution dictates that global reopening will be a slow, measured process, even in countries with falling cases and strong healthcare systems, the daily noted. "More than 18.5 million people are currently infected with COVID-19. worldwide, only 43 percent of people have received at least one vaccine dose. In the developing world, it is less than two percent. For now, plotting the route to a new normal is still a premature goal for most."
The UAE is fortunate to be at the opposite end of this spectrum. But it is also deserving. The country had one of the most far-reaching set of coronavirus measures in the world.
"Today, more than 80 percent of people in the UAE are fully vaccinated. At present, Abu Dhabi is the leading jurisdiction in the world in terms of number of tests per person, and the emirate still requires regular testing in order to enter public spaces, including workplaces and schools. Across the country, masks remain mandatory. The emergence of a next phase in dealing with the pandemic is necessary and welcome, but the responsibility to be vigilant remains for all of us," the editorial continued.
Authorities and the public will continue to monitor the situation. But the resilience and capacity the country has been building over the past year and a half is paying off as a new shape is given to what will become normality.
The Abu Dhabi-based daily concluded by saying, "As restrictions lift, more and more of us will realise quite how strange the past few months have been. Bidding farewell to some of these measures will be a great reason to celebrate. After this week's news, doing so with friends from across the country, even across the world, will be a lot easier."
