Thanks to UAE, Gaviria back home in time to celebrate Easter

Dubai - Gaviria has thanked the UAE health authorities after receiving the 'best care and attention in the world

The UAE Team Emirates rider Fernando Gaviria may have feared the worst after being diagnosed with the coronavirus last month.
But timely help from the UAE authorities and medical staff, who swiftly swung into action, meant that he was cured of the disease.
And the Colombian sprinter wasted little time in acknowledging the UAE government and the health authorities and said that he couldn't praise them enough, terming it the "best care and attention in the world.
"I would like to thank the UAE government, our team president, Matar Suhail Al Yabhouni Al Dhaheri and the whole of the UAE Team Emirates team for their support. It has been a difficult period but I am lucky to have had the best care and attention in the world," said Gaviria.
Gaviria had contracted the virus during the UAE Tour, which was eventually cancelled after five of the seven stages. Gaviria, who won Stage 4 from Zabeel Park to Dubai City Walk, during this edition, was being treated while the team and several other teams were placed under quarantine and lockdown at their hotel in Yas Island.
After tests came back negative and he was discharged by the doctors. But the 25-year-old faced an anxious wait to return home to Colombia. The Latin American country too is under lockdown and has closed its borders and banned commercial flights from arriving.
But now, again thanks to UAE's help, Gaviria has returned home to celebrate Easter with his loved ones.
Gaviria boarded a flight with 55 others, and the UAE, apart from giving him the “best care and attention in the world,” also showed its wonderful humanitarian side, as has been the case always, with the plane filled with 13 tonnes of medical material donated by the UAE.
"I am very happy to be able to return home and embrace my loved ones, while still being aware that this pandemic is still among us and that we cannot let our guard down," he said.
"My hope is to return to normality and get back racing as soon as possible. Until then, please follow the government instructions to try to limit the spread of the virus," added Gaviria, who joined Team Emirates in 2019.
james@khaleejtimes.com