UAE Covid-19 cases increase for 5 straight days; sterilisation programme may return

Dubai - The UAE reported 210 Covid-19 cases on Sunday, followed by 229 (Monday), 365 (Tuesday), 435 (Wednesday), and 461 cases on Thursday.

Coronavirus cases in the UAE have been on the rise for the past five days, and the country has warned that the national sterilisation programme could return if the numbers keep climbing up.

The UAE reported 210 Covid-19 cases on Sunday, followed by 229 (Monday), 365 (Tuesday), 435 (Wednesday), and 461 cases on Thursday.

The National Sterilisation Programme could return if the number of coronavirus Covid-19 cases keep increasing, a UAE official warned on Thursday.

"It is possible to reinstate the national sterilisation programme in some areas if there are high numbers of Covid-19 cases," Dr Saif Al Dhaheri, spokesman for National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA), said.

UAE has marked a surge in the number of coronavirus cases in the last two weeks which the Minister of Health and Community Protection Abdul Rahman Al Owais, called an 'alarming increase'.

Cases have more than doubled in the past five days mainly due to non-compliance of precautionary measures outlined by the country, said authorities.

The UAE had completed its national sterilisation programme on June 24 and lifted all movement restrictions. The country-wide program, which was launched on March 26 to fight the coronavirus, saw a complete sterilisation of all facilities in the UAE including public transportation, streets and other public areas.

With inputs from Marie Nammour