Leads by example

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, is leading by example during the global coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, Sheikh Hamdan chaired a council meeting via video call, limiting social contact with fellow Dubai Executive Council members — the first of its kind.

On the call Sheikh Hamdan met with Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai, a few and other council representatives, to discuss the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and the best measures to contain the spread of it in the UAE.

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While there are challenges to navigate through which include temporary changes to the lifestyle of UAE residents, Sheikh Hamdan said there will be lessons learned from this experiences. He spoke about plans to enhance preparation in crises such as COVID-19 and plans to boost immunity.

His Highness went on to stress how important it was the public ensure they adhere to preventative measures taken by the government and other authoritative bodies to contain the spreading of the virus.

Despite the challenges, Sheikh Hamdan stated he was confident Dubai was equipped to deal with them in order to ensure the safety of the public’s health.

Dhs1.5 billion stimulus package

A series of measures have been taken in order to prevent the knock-on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Sunday, Sheikh Hamdan announced a Dhs1.5 billion stimulus package to curb the effects of coronavirus on residents and businesses in the UAE.

The initiative was part of a directive from HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

It was stated the package would fall under “15 initiatives that serve the retail, trade, tourism & energy sectors in Dubai to reduce costs for the business sector and residents over the next 3 months”.

These plans include a reduction on the cost of living, specifically DEWA bills, in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Water and electricity bills are set to be reduced by 10 per cent for all residential, commercial and industrial Dubai customers, as well as reducing the deposits by 50 per cent. This will be in effect for three months.

The unveiling of the initiative came after major shutdowns in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were announced on Saturday.

It was announced via the official Dubai Media Office Twitter account “all events in Dubai should be suspended from Sunday 15 March 2020 [until] the end of the month”.

Similarly, all main tourist attractions in Abu Dhabi are remain closed until the end of the month.

On Monday March 16, a statement from the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing was released instructing all bars, pubs and lounges to close effective immediately for the next two weeks.

“In line with Dubai Government precautionary measures to ensure the health and safety of its residents and visitors; Dubai Tourism notifies all bars, pubs and lounges (including bars within restaurants) to close with immediate effect from today (Monday 16 march 2020) till the end of March,” the statement said.

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