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MERS battle: Fakeih orders new measures

April 25, 2014

MERS_battleJeddah, Apr 25: Saudi authorities reported 12 new MERS cases on Thursday, including two fatalities, as Acting Health Minister Adel Fakeih appointed Dr. Tariq Ahmed Madani of King Abdulaziz University Hospital as his new medical adviser to combat the deadly diseases.

Fakeih, who is also the Labor Minister, also ordered the transfer of coronavirus cases to King Saud Hospital in north Jeddah.

According to the Health Ministry, Jeddah has recorded the largest number of infections (6) by the deadly coronavirus followed by Riyadh (five) and Makkah (one). A 68-year-old Saudi man died in Makkah, said the ministry statement. The other fatality, a 72-year-old Saudi woman, was in Riyadh.

Of the new infection cases in Jeddah, a 51-year-old Syrian doctor is in the ICU of King Fahd Hospital and a 28-year-old Indonesian woman is in King Saud Hospital. Other Jeddah cases were: Two Palestinians, an Egyptian and a Saudi national.

The cases in Riyadh include a 40-year-old Filipino nurse in addition to four Saudi nationals. A 34-year-old Filipino nurse, who was working at the ICU of Al-Noor Hospital in Makkah, is the only infection case in the holy city.

Officials are struggling to alleviate concerns that the virus is spreading amid a spike in infections over the past several weeks.

National Guard Minister Prince Miteb bin Abdullah said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah advanced his visit to Jeddah to lead the campaign against the disease.

Speaking about the king’s concern toward his citizens, Prince Miteb said: “When the rift valley fever hit Jazan, King Abdullah cut short his visit to France and flew to Jazan to oversee the efforts to fight the disease.”

Minister Fakeih has set up two committees in the last 24 hours to consider the request of King Saud Hospital not to receive cases due to lack of isolation rooms, lack of enough medical and nursing staff to deal with number of these cases, as well as a shortage of beds at the hospital.

The hospital has 85 beds, including 25 in intensive care and 15 for deportation cases, leaving only 45 beds to accommodate other cases received by the hospital, such as tuberculosis, AIDS, dengue fever, and others.

Following reports of coronavirus found in camels from African markets, Saudi businessmen said they are exploring possibility of importing livestock from non-African sources.

Jeddah businessmen have urged Uruguay Foreign Minister Luis Almagro to sign an agreement with the Saudi Agricultural Ministry for the import of livestock and frozen meat directly to the Kingdom.

Fahd Al-Sulami, a member of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said livestock traders have expressed their desire to diversify import sources in order to avoid disease-carrying cattle.

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Agencies
July 31,2020

Mount Arafat, July 30: Muslim pilgrims converged Thursday on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat for the climax of this year's hajj, the smallest in modern times and a sharp contrast to the massive crowds of previous years.

A tight security cordon has been erected all around the foot of the rocky hill outside Mecca, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy.

Pilgrims, donning masks and observing social distancing, were brought in buses from neighbouring Mina, state television showed, as Saudi authorities impose measures to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.

They were subject to temperature checks and attended a sermon -- which state media said was translated into 10 languages -- before they set off on the climb to the summit for hours of Koran recitals and prayers to atone for their sins.

The scene was strikingly different to last year's ritual when a sea of pilgrims ascended Mount Arafat, marshalled by tens of thousands of stewards in a bid to prevent any crushes.

After sunset prayers, pilgrims will make their way down Mount Arafat to Muzdalifah, another holy site where they will sleep under the stars to prepare for the final stage of hajj, the symbolic "stoning of the devil".

It takes place on Friday and also marks the beginning of Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice.

The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings.

But only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will participate in this year's ritual, compared with 2019's gathering of some 2.5 million from around the world.

"You are not our guests but those of God, the custodian of the two holy mosques (Saudi Arabia's King Salman) and the nation," Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten said in a video released by the media ministry on Wednesday.

Security cordon

A security cordon has been thrown around the holy sites to prevent any security breaches, an interior ministry spokesman said.

Riyadh faced strong criticism in 2015 when some 2,300 worshippers were killed in the deadliest stampede in the gathering's history.

But this year, those risks are greatly reduced by the much smaller crowd.

The pilgrims have all been tested for the virus, and foreign journalists were barred from this year's hajj, usually a huge global media event.

As part of the rites completed over five days in the holy city of Mecca and its surroundings, the pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat after spending the night in Mina.

A district of Mecca, Mina sits in a narrow valley surrounded by rocky mountains, and is transformed each year into a vast encampment for pilgrims.

They began the hajj on Wednesday with their first "tawaf", the circumambulation of the Kaaba, a large structure in Mecca’s Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world pray.

The Kaaba is draped in a black cloth embroidered in gold with Koranic verses and known as the kiswa, which is changed each year during the pilgrimage.

Pilgrims were brought inside the mosque in small batches, walking along paths marked on the floor, in sharp contrast to the normal sea of humanity that swirls around the Kaaba during hajj.

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News Network
June 5,2020

New Delhi, Jun 5: As part of global efforts to combat COVID-19, the UAE has provided more than 708 tonnes of medical aid, personal protection kits and supplies to 62 countries, including India, with direct beneficiaries exceeding 708,000 health workers, a UAE Embassy statement said.

The UAE is regarded as the main lifeline for the logistic operations of the international organizations' strategic warehouses in Dubai's International Humanitarian City (IHC) where the UAE is the first responder to the global crises, especially in providing assistance in relation to the current COVID-19 pandemic, it said.

Dubai's IHC has dispatched more than 132 shipments to 98 countries around the world so far since the beginning of this year, and is working as a central hub to distribute the personal protection kits, the statement said.

While the UAE continues its constant work of supporting the global efforts aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 disease, it has provided more than 708 tons of medical aid, personal protection kits and supplies to 62 countries worldwide to date, with direct beneficiaries exceeding 708,000 health workers, it said.

In addition, 65 million indirect beneficiaries profited from the UAE's global efforts in combating the spread of the virus, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways, effective June 10, said it will link 20 cities in Europe, Asia and Australia via Abu Dhabi.

The new transfer services will make it possible for those travelling on the airline's current network of special flights to connect easily through the UAE capital onwards to key global destinations.

Etihad recently launched links from Melbourne and Sydney to London Heathrow, allowing direct transfer connections to and from the UK capital via Abu Dhabi.

Easy transfer connections via Abu Dhabi will now be available from Jakarta, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo to major cities across Europe including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, London Heathrow, Madrid, Milan, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Zurich, the airline said.

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News Network
April 9,2020

Apr 9: The UAE Cabinet, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, adopted a resolution to grant paid leave to select categories of employees at the federal government.

This move is part of a series of precautionary measures and procedures taken by the UAE government to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control.

The resolution stipulates that married employees of the federal government may take fully paid leave to take care of their children below the age of 16. The age condition shall not apply to people of determination, as well as in cases where a spouse is subject to self-isolation or quarantine that requires no contact with family members, upon a decision from the Ministry of Health and Prevention.

The resolution also applies to employees whose spouses work in vital health-related occupations, such as doctors, nurses, paramedics and other medical jobs that require exposure to infected people, as well as employees of quarantine centres, throughout the emergency period witnessed by the country.

Pursuant to the resolution, the relevant ministry or federal authority may ask employees holding essential technical occupations to work remotely instead of taking leave.

The resolution was issued in line with the UAE government's keenness to support employees and provide them with a safe and healthy working environment, as well as to protect the health and safety of government employees and their families, during the current crisis that requires greater efforts, additional working hours, and in some cases, exposure to infected people.

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