Youngest Emirati stranded abroad: Newborn returns to UAE as father fights coronavirus

Abu Dhabi - It was an impatient wait for almost three months for Dr Al Ameri.

Emotional scenes unfolded at the Abu Dhabi airport this Sunday, June 7, when the youngest Emirati stranded abroad was united with her father in the capital.
UAE citizen Dr Abdullah Al Amiri got to hold his daughter Zeina for the very first time after she was safely repatriated from Kuwait along with her mother and elder brother Zayed by a special Emirates flight that had only 30 people onboard.
It was an impatient wait for almost three months for Dr Al Ameri, who had to cut short his medical training in the US and was hoping to reach his wife in Kuwait in time for their second child's (Zeina) delivery. However, due to Covid-19-related flight suspensions, Al Ameri could not travel to Kuwait to be with his wife and Zeina was born on April 15.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Dr Al Ameri said: "I was completing my medical training at Ohio when I the pandemic set in. Since my wife's delivery date of our second child was approaching, I decided to take my vacation and returned to the UAE in early March. My wife is from Kuwait, and I had left her there with her folks till I completed my course in the US. But by the time I booked my flight from the UAE to Kuwait, borders of both the countries closed down and I couldn't fly out of the UAE."
Although the UAE did arrange special flights to bring back its citizens stranded abroad by end of March, Dr Al Ameri's family couldn't board the plane since his wife's delivery date was near.
"It was a tough time for me as I had not seen my wife and one-and-a-half-year-old son Zayed for 10 months and would also not be there physically present for her second delivery also but I had faith in the efforts my country was putting in to reunite me with my family. I waited till my wife delivered and with the relentless efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and International Cooperation and the UAE Embassy in Kuwait, an emergency passport for my child Zeina was issued, and my family returned safely to the UAE."
Not failing to answer the call of duty even at the time of adversity, Dr Al Ameri joined the ranks of frontline healthcare workers to combat the spread of the virus and began offering his services at Covid-19 wards at Cleveland Hospital in Abu Dhabi.
Expressing his gratitude to the UAE, Dr Al Ameri said: " I cannot forget what this country has done for me and Iwill remain deeply indebted to them for this wonderful gesture of the UAE authorities that didn't let me be away from my loved ones for too long. It was a very difficult situation even in Kuwait as there was a complete lockdown but the UAE embassy in Kuwait treated this matter with urgency and all officials were constantly in touch with me and my family at all times to answer our queries and reassure us. It almost felt like an impossible task to get the baby's passport made during the lockdown and to get them on a flight when all airports were closed but they managed tonot only get my daughter'e emergency passport made but also got them aboard a special flight to the UAE. I truly feel blessed to be a citizen of the UAE and cannot thank the authorities enough for this kind gesture."
Dr Al Ameri said he is now home quarantined with his family for 14 days.
saman@khaleejtimes.com 
 

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