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Coronavirus: UAE reports 281 Covid-19 cases, 330 recoveries, no deaths

Over 139,440 PCR tests have been conducted in the country so far

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The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Tuesday reported 281 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 330 recoveries and no deaths.

Over 139,440 PCR tests have been conducted in the country so far.

Total active cases stand at 13,980.

The new cases were detected through 139,440 additional tests.

The total number of cases in UAE as on May 17 are 903,084, while total recoveries stand at 886,802. The death toll now stands at 2,302.

Japan said on Tuesday it would start conducting 'test tourism' in the form of limited package tours in May as a way of gathering information prior to a full re-opening of the country to tourism.

Though tourism was a major pillar of Japan's economy, tourists have not been permitted to enter since it adopted strict border controls in 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Regulations have been loosened slightly to allow students and some business travellers to enter. But, individual tourists remain barred despite calls from industry leaders hoping to restart tourism to take advantage of the yen, which has fallen to 20-year lows.

The Tourism Agency said on Tuesday that it would start allowing small group tours to enter from later this month as "test cases" to gain information for a broader resumption of tourism at an unspecified future date.

Meanwhile, Shanghai achieved on Tuesday the long-awaited milestone of three consecutive days with no new Covid-19 cases outside quarantine zones but most residents will have to put up with confinement for a while longer before a return to more normal life.

For other cities in China that have been under lockdown, a third day with no new cases in the community usually means "zero Covid" status and the beginning of the lifting of restrictions.

The commercial hub of 25 million set out on Monday its clearest timetable yet for exiting a lockdown now in its seventh week, but the plan was met with scepticism by many residents who have seen isolation extended time and again.

• Dubai