Middle East Experience

Health Minister Yaakov Litzman and his wife being treated after contracting COVID-19 as PM Netanyahu quarantines..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Israel's health minister gets coronavirus; top officials isolate

United Arab Emirates officials confirmed they are extending the nationwide disinfection program which was supposed to conclude on Saturday, the country’s health and interior ministries confirmed in a statement.“The two ministries said new facilities and establishments would be added to the disinfection plan in all emirates of the country. The Programme will be subject to periodic assessment as per recommendations approved by the World Health Organisation, WHO, and established international practices,” according to a statement on WAM news agency.The program, which was extended for a second week last Saturday, takes place on a nightly basis from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. during which a curfew is enacted and people are urged to stay at home.“This decision comes in light of the successful implementation of the programme, which was launched on Thursday, 26th March, with the use of the most advanced technologies. The programme is being carried out with the support and cooperation of several competent bodies and participation of hundreds of workers, supervisors and administrators from federal and local governments,” WAM added in its statement.Read more:UAE confirms one death, 210 new coronavirus casesCoronavirus: Hospital beds per capita show how ready governments are to treat casesInformal workers in Arab world hit hardest by coronavirus, unlikely to get helpThe UAE reported on Friday 240 new coronavirus cases, raising the total number of cases in the country up to 1,264, the ministry of health said, adding that one patient has died from the disease.Dubai authorities have so far sanitized the metro, taxis, buses, and trams, videos posted by the Dubai Media Office showed.Dubai Police also shared videos of radars on highways that were used to detect those violating traffic restrictions during the nighttime curfew.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: UAE extends curfew indefinitely due to disinfection program

Sweden has taken a business-as-usual approach to tackling the coronavirus pandemic, which is coming in for growing criticism as the death toll rises, according to reports.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The country has not implemented any social-distancing measures or curfews as other countries have to help slow the spread. Neither has it closed “non-essential” businesses such as restaurants and other entertainment hot spots. Schools and borders remain open as well.According to recent data released by Google, recreational outings in Sweden have decreased by only 24 percent, while the same numbers dropped by nearly 94 percent in Italy and Spain.However, the Scandinavian country has been criticized as the number of infections and death toll continue to rise. Sweden had a total of 6,131 cases as of Saturday. The death toll reached 358 so far, rising at about 25-30 a day, according to the Swedish Health Agency, Reuters reported.“We don't have a choice, we have to close Stockholm right now,” Cecilia Soderberg-Naucler, Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis at the Karolinska Institute, told Reuters.She is one of around 2,300 academics who signed an open letter to the government at the end of last month calling for tougher measures to protect the healthcare system, according to Reuters.“We must establish control over the situation, we cannot head into a situation where we get complete chaos. No one has tried this route, so why should we test it first in Sweden, without informed consent?” she added.Twitter user Deanthebard shared a video of bustling areas in Sweden.“Meanwhile in Sweden, it’s life as usual,” he captioned the video on the social media platform. “Not sure how I’m feeling [about] all of this when the rest of Europe is in isolation.”However, Sweden’s Public Health Agency’s lead epidemiologist, and a member of the country’s coronavirus national response team, shared a different perspective.“My view is that basically all European countries are trying to do the same thing — we’re trying to slow down the spread as much as possible to keep healthcare and society working ... and we have shown some different methods to slow down the spread,” Anders Tegnell said during an interview with CNBC last week.He also said the health agency introduced “voluntary measures” and explained to the population the importance of social distancing, CNBC reported.“So far, it’s been working reasonably well,” he said.- With ReutersRead more:Google data shines light on whether lockdowns worldwide are working
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Sweden takes different approach to tackling the outbreak as numbers rise

Dubai’s famous retail malls have been shut for 10 days to slow the spread of coronavirus, but thousands of mall workers have been redeployed to cater to an explosion in online shopping, which has tripled almost overnight, retailers say.Some of Dubai’s most famous malls, such as Mall of the Emirates, owned by Majid Al Futtaim Properties, and Dubai Mall, owned by Emaar Properties, are transforming themselves to “fulfillment centers”, where workers work throughout the night to keep up with online orders.“It is uncharted territory. We had to rethink what we do and how we do it, but at the same time keep certain principles in play,” says Tracy S Faulkner, Chief Communications Officer at Majid Al Futtaim.Majid Al Futtaim which runs 27 shopping malls across the Middle East, shut all its malls in the UAE on March 25. At the same time, its online business has seen a spike of 290 percent in the UAE, 700 percent in Egypt and 1,400 percent in Saudi Arabia.“Our business across the region is actually in shutdown, except for our Carrefour (grocery) business. That is doing relatively well,” Alain Bejjani, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim said in an interview with CNBC.The sudden shift has forced the group to transform many of its supermarkets and hypermarkets into fulfillment centers and redeploy more than 1,000 leisure, entertainment and cinema employees on a temporary basis to the Carrefour business, he said.Emaar Malls, a subsidiary of Dubai’s biggest-listed developer Emaar Properties, has also announced the opening of a virtual store of Dubai Mall on noon.com, the regional e-commerce website.“Unprecedented challenges call for innovative, collaborative and bold measures,” said an Emaar spokesperson. “The Covid-19 situation and its impact on the global economy call for us to rally our strengths and identify new measures that take into consideration the social and economic realities.”Developers announce relief packagesTo help retailers cope with the extended closure, some property owners have stepped in to announcing measures.Mohammad A. Baker, CEO of Gulf Marketing Group, says landlords and retailers alike are facing exceptional challenges due to the coronavirus outbreak. “Dealing with fluctuations in consumer footfall, labor requirements, and rescheduled brand campaigns must be done together, with a shared sense of responsibility and agility,” he said.He suggests retailers and landlords should renegotiate their long-term tenancy contracts considering the extraordinary conditions.The recent announcement by Al-Futtaim Group, which employs 42,000 people across many sectors including retail, to set up a 100 million-dirham fund for rent relief is one example of what can be done, he added.Dubai property developer Nakheel has announced a 230-million-dirham economic relief package for its customers due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement posted by the media office of the Dubai government.Green Community's Properties Investment is also supporting retailers forced to shut down due to the pandemic. Retailers in ‘The Market’ avenue in Green Community, Dubai Investments Park (DIP), will receive a three-month rent relief as a gesture of support during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to an announcement by developer Properties Investment (PI).Read more:Coronavirus: UAE extends curfew indefinitely due to disinfection programCoronavirus: Hospital beds per capita show how ready governments are to treat casesInformal workers in Arab world hit hardest by coronavirus, unlikely to get help
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Dubai’s malls turn into fulfillment centers as online shopping explodes

It is a discomforting historical thought that great power shifts in the global economy can be dangerous..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Europe needs to take North Africa more seriously

1,000 police enforce Bnei Brak lockdown.;
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: IDF likely to deploy in other Israeli cities in fight against coronavirus

Earlier this year, Israelis experienced a butter shortage, making this the second time a food staple was not readily available to consumers.;
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Government to subsidize egg imports in bid to avoid Passover shortage

Two reported deaths from coronavirus in Syria point to a much higher outbreak than is being acknowledged by authorities..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Syria Weekly: Coronavirus outbreak sparks more fears of epidemic

Kuwait supports Saudi Arabia's call to renew talks on cutting oil supply due later this week and hopes for a successful outcome to stabilize the oil market, Kuwait's oil minister said Sunday..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Kuwait backs Saudi call for talks on cutting oil output

Register on this website: https://dxbpermit.gov.ae/home..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Combating Covid-19: All fines issued since Saturday night until the permit site was activated have been waived