Turkish military attaché to Kuwait held in Dammam

Dubai, Apr 13: The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) on Monday announced 172 new recoveries in the country, taking the total recoveries to 852 cases.

"With today's 172 cases, the total number of fully recovered Covid-19 patients has become 852, while three residents of different nationalities were declared dead, taking the total number of deaths to 25," Dr Farida Al Hosani, spokeswoman for the ministry, said.

"We have also carried out up to 23,380 new tests on Monday all over the country."

Also read: UAE residency, visit visas valid until end-2020

Dr Hosani said His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has launched the national home-based testing programme for determined people, be they nationals or residents.

"The program, targeting this important segment of the society who have difficulty doing tests outdoors, is part of the national drive-through testing national program."

Addressing some baseless rumours that are viral on social media, Dr Al Hosani confirmed that no one can fix a date for the peak of infected cases.

"So many studies have affirmed that physical distancing is so critical in reducing not only the number of Cobid-19 new cases but also the infection curve."

Dr Al Hosani advised the public to wear gloves whenever they go out. "However, do not touch your personal stuff when wearing gloves, particularly when using your phone, and safely dispose of them."

It is still so critical to clean your hands with water and soap on a regular basis, she underlined. "Cleaning and washing our hands are much better and safer than wearing gloves."

Wearing one-time disposable surgical gloves is highly advisable, she said. "If not available, hand-made cloth masks can be used but need to be cleaned regularly with water and soap."

Masks should be worn properly covering the nose, mouth and the chin, she pointed out. "Do not touch the internal or external parts of the face masks, while the blue colour side must be always outward."

Priority in drive-through tests are given for those with respiratory issues, senior people, and pregnant women, she said in answer to a question raised by media people.

"If you are developing no Covid-19 infection symptoms and just wish to make sure you are sound, you need to book an appointment, be aware that it will cost you Dh370."

"If developing minor symptoms, the public is urged to stay home and call any of these toll-free numbers for help: (800011111), (8001717), (800342)."

Abu Dhabi, Apr 26: Indian Ambassador to the UAE Pavan Kapoor says he is appalled after the bodies of three Indians flown back to India were returned to Abu Dhabi on Friday.

The three deceased Indian nationals had died of non-coronavirus causes and were flown to Delhi on Thursday but were promptly returned by authorities there.

“We are appalled at what has happened,” Kapoor told Gulf News. “We do not know if the bodies were returned because of coronavirus-related restrictions, but we are obviously not sending the remains of people [who have passed away from COVID-19],” he added.

“[As we understand], it happened because of new protocols at the airport and we are trying to sort it out,” he said.

Sent back a few hours later

“The remains were not offloaded from the plane, and were sent back a few hours later,” Kapoor explained.

The deceased were Kamlesh Bhatt, who passed away on April 17, and Sanjeev Kumar and Jagsir Singh who both died on April 13.

According to reports in Indian media, Kamlesh Bhat was 23 years old, and hailed from Tehri Garhwal district. He allegedly died of cardiac arrest. Along with the remains Kumar and Singh, Bhatt’s body was initially repatriated on an Etihad Airways flight, then sent back, even though his relatives had been on their way to collect them.

Kapoor explained the procedure through which remains are normally returned to family members back home, saying that the worker’s employer typically makes arrangements with cargo companies to repatriate bodies on cargo aircraft.

The employer applies for a No Objection Certificate from the Indian Embassy, which is granted once the Embassy ensures that all local formalities have been completed. The cargo company then applies for airport clearance, and the airline obtains approvals from the receiving airport.

“If airport protocols have changed, it means cargo companies have to be more careful about the clearance they’re getting,” Kapoor advised.

Additional costs
The ambassador added there may eventually be additional costs to repatriate the bodies but that it is first necessary to sort out the concerns.

The global coronavirus outbreak has spawned difficulties in repatriating mortal remains as a result of the travel restrictions imposed by countries. Remains of people dying from COVID-19 are not being sent back, but the caution surrounding the handling of bodies often affects the repatriation of those who succumb to other causes.

As Gulf News reported, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan reached out to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday for intervention in bringing back the bodies of Keralites who have died in the Gulf from non-COVID-19 causes.

“I would like to draw your attention to the grievances received from Non-resident Keralites Associations (NRKs) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on the delay caused in bringing home the mortal remains of NRKs who had expired due to reasons other than the COVID-19 infection,” read the letter by the CM.

“It is learnt that a ‘clearance certificate’ from the Indian Embassies is required to process the application of bringing home the mortal remains of the dead. The Embassies are [further] insisting on the production of a no-objection certificate from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), New Delhi. To enable to bring back the bodies of the NRIs whose deaths occurred due to reasons other than COVID-19 infection, without necessary procedural hassles, I request your kind intervention,” Vijayan has requested.

Dubai, Mar 23: All inbound, outbound and transit passenger flights to and from the United Arab Emirates – home to one of the world’s busiest hubs – are to be suspended for two weeks.

The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) and General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has announced that passenger flights to, from and through the country will be suspended from 25 March for a period of two weeks, in order to “curb the spread of the Covid-19”.

Freight and emergency evacuation flights will still be permitted to operate.

The suspension affects major global hubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Dubai-based Emirates has already announced that it will suspend most of its passenger flights from 25 March.

“Additional examination and isolation arrangements will be taken later should flights resume, in order to ensure the safety of passengers, air crews and airport personnel and their protection from infection risks,” state the NCEMA and the GCAA.

Dubai International Airport was the third-busiest airport in the world in 2018, handling 89 million passengers.