Stay home. The message is very clear. The UAE relevant authorities will conduct a nationwide sterilisation programme over this weekend, to combat the spread of COVID-19.
The unprecedented initiative to keep the entire country safe and healthy started on Thursday evening. During this period, traffic and public movement is restricted and public transport, including the Dubai Metro, suspended.
The health of the nation is at stake and cannot be compromised by a few reckless people who probably don’t fathom the seriousness of the issue. Officials note that they are confident the people will stay home and cooperate. We all hope so and plead with you: stay home
Understandably, there are those whose job requires them to leave home- such as medical, security services and energy services among other critical sectors. However, for this initiative to work we need to stay home during this weekend. Please do not leave your home unless it is absolutely necessary — to buy food, basic essentials and medicines.
The fight against the coronavirus outbreak is a collective effort. Governments, across the world, are taking unseen-before measures to contain the spread of the virus, which has killed 22,000 people globally and infected half a million. It has paralysed governments, shattered giant economies and shut down entire countries.
These measures will not succeed without the cooperation of the people, whom these measures are aimed to protect.
There are ample examples from other countries that we should look at very carefully, where the people were recklessly reluctant to exercise the necessary social distancing that led to speeding up the transmission of the virus and loss of precious lives.
The people in the UAE realise that the government has been at the forefront in the fight against the outbreak. Its initiatives internally and externally, where it extended the helping hand to other countries in need, are being hailed around the world as a successful example to deal with the pandemic.
The numbers of cases in the UAE, therefore, are much less than many other nation, even with smaller population than the UAE.
Now it up to the people to keep the country safe by refraining from going out and unnecessarily mingling with others thereby increasing the risk of infection to themselves and others. The authorities on Thursday said there will be strict deterrent procedures against those who violate the stay at home orders during the national sterilisation programme this weekend.
The health of the nation is at stake and cannot be compromised by a few reckless people who probably don’t fathom the seriousness of the issue. Officials note that they are confident the people will stay home and cooperate. We all hope so and plead with you- stay home.
