Coronavirus: UAE reports 339 Covid-19 cases, 172 recoveries, 1 death

Dubai - More than 69,000 new Covid-19 tests have been carried out.

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Tuesday reported 339 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 172 recoveries. One death was also reported.
More than 69,000 new Covid-19 tests have been carried out, the ministry added.

The UAE could be at risk of a second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak if residents do not adhere to the strict precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus, a top official has warned. "The pandemic has not ended. If UAE residents do not adhere to preventive measures, we will be on the verge of a second outbreak," Obaid Al Hussan Al Shamsi, director-general of the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, said on Sunday in an interview on Abu Dhabi TV.

Meanwhile, the Department of Community Development - Abu Dhabi has launched a campaign called #CommitToWin to urge the community to act responsibly to help contain Covid-19. Dr Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, chairman of the department, said the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in recent weeks was "not a good indicator". The department's aim is to improve the quality of life in the UAE Capital. In its #CommitToWin campaign, the department requests the community to stick to Covid-19 preventive measures and help lead a return to normalcy soon. "We miss visiting our friends and loved ones. (However) our colleagues and friends are sacrificing their lives on the frontlines to protect us. Sometimes, in our longing for culture and tradition, we tend to forget that there is a lethal pandemic (out there)," said Dr Al Khaili.

In Dubai, more residents, especially the youth, have been stepping up to help others amid the Covid-19 crisis, based on the latest statistics of the emirate's Community Development Authority (CDA). In the first half of the year, volunteering hours have doubled compared to the same period last year, and the number of active volunteers jumped by 53.6 per cent. Ahmad Julfar, director-general of the CDA, said some 29,661 volunteers of all ages and nationalities had been active in the first six months of the year, and about 2,200 of them are new. Thirty-five new organisations also joined the Dubai Volunteering Programme. "We recorded 245,232 volunteer hours during the first half of 2020, up by 99.9 per cent from last year's 122,685 hours," Julfar said.