Look. No masks! Masks are no longer on people’s faces in the UAE. At least outdoors. That is a giant leap. A leap towards normality. It’s so wonderful to see the grins and grumpy moods, the long faces and radiant smiles. Life’s suddenly become a lot more vibrant.
There’s a sense of normality; a sense of freedom. Freedom from the tyranny of masks. How many times have we run back home to get the mask, having forgotten to wear it? Masks were always on my mind, and I hated to be caught without one. I keep masks in my car and the office. I carry spares in my bag too.
My mask worries are history since Friday. True, we still need to cover our faces indoors. But I would say this is a start. The start of a return to days of old. I don’t mind wearing a mask indoors so long as I can take it off when I go outside. I won’t have to go on walks with my nose ensconced in a strip of fabric.
No-mask mandate pins more responsibility
I know the freedom to go outdoors without a mask is not a blank cheque: not a licence to throw caution to the winds. It actually pins more responsibility on us. We have to be prudent about wearing face protection. If we are in a crowded space, especially indoors, reach for the mask. I would do just that since the threat of COVID-19 is still far from over.
New infections have come down drastically. This means the coronavirus is not spreading rapidly as it did some weeks ago. Many countries have been easing COVID restrictions, and several European nations have done away with the mandatory mask rule. But all countries are harping on the need to vaccinate.
While Europe and the United States have been grappling with anti-vaxxer sentiment, the UAE has surged with its vaccination programme. Nearly 100 per cent of the population have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 96.86 per cent are fully vaccinated, according to figures from the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority.
Vaccination changed the game in the UAE and paved the way for the new mask mandate. That means I can travel to Abu Dhabi without a PCR test or a Green Pass, although I would need them to visit government offices. But then how often do you have to visit government offices. Online governance has made life easy. Residents rarely have to show up at government entities unless it’s for some visa work or an Emirates ID issue.
Perhaps the biggest impact will be on travel. No PCR test to board flights, none on arrival in the UAE too, so long as you are fully vaccinated. I have barely travelled in the last two years, and during the only trip abroad, I didn’t budge from my hometown. Scared, was I? Maybe. I had reason to be worried. That was the time when Omicron had taken over as the major coronavirus variant. I dare not mess with it, given Omicron’s increased transmissibility.
Since that threat seems to have dissipated, I might travel again. The easing of restrictions in the UAE has given me the courage to think of travelling again. More importantly, it has helped me breathe more freely.
