DUBAI: The UAE on Monday recorded 1,077 new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and two related deaths.
Officials from the country’s Ministry of Health and Prevention said the total number of cases since the pandemic began had reached 194,652, with the death toll now running at 639.
It was also announced that over the previous 24-hour period, 845 people had recovered after contracting the virus, taking the total number of recoveries to 169,840.
During daily inspection tours, Dubai Economy issued a warning to one establishment for not adhering to anti-COVID-19 measures, but 421 other businesses inspected were found to be compliant.
Etihad Airways said that it would require all passengers arriving from the UK to provide a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken within 72 hours of their departure time, following an announcement from the UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority.
“Etihad is the only airline in the world requiring 100 percent of its passengers to show a negative PCR test before traveling and again on arrival into Abu Dhabi, ensuring peace of mind for all on board,” Abu Dhabi’s national carrier said in a statement on its website.
Meanwhile, the UAE was ranked among the top countries in world for its efficiency in dealing with the repercussions of the COVID-19 epidemic and the speed of its recovery phase.
According to a recent Global Soft Power Index questionnaire issued by UK-based Brand Finance, the Emirates ranked first in the Middle East and 14th globally in dealing with the virus outbreak.
Elsewhere, Kuwait recorded 230 new COVID-19 cases, upping the total for the country to 148,209, with the death toll reaching 922 after one new fatality was registered.
تعلن عن تأكيد إصابة 230 حالة، وتسجيل 216 حالة شفاء، و حالة وفاة واحدة جديدة بـ COVID-19 ، ليصبح إجمالي عدد الحالات 148,209 حالة
— وزارة الصحة - الكويت (@KUWAIT_MOH)
Oman’s Health Ministry confirmed 264 new cases and one death, moving the totals to 127,931 and 1,489, respectively.
No. 249
December 21, 2020— وزارة الصحة - عُمان (@OmaniMOH)
In Bahrain, one death was reported, raising the death toll to 350, while 168 new infected cases were confirmed.
Out of 10598 COVID-19 tests carried out on 21 December 2020, 168 new cases have been detected among 69 expatriate workers, 83 new cases are contacts of active cases, and 16 are travel related. There were 211 recoveries from , increasing total recoveries to 88542
— وزارة الصحة | مملكة البحرين (@MOH_Bahrain)