After opening itself to New Year revellers, Dubai is now being blamed by several countries for spreading the coronavirus abroad, as questions swirl about the city-state’s ability to handle record spikes in Covid-19 cases.
The government said the kingdom is doing all it can to handle the pandemic, though it has repeatedly declined to answer questions about its hospital capacity.
In a statement, the government said: “After a year of managing the pandemic, we can confidently say the current situation is under control and we have our plans to surge any capacity in the health care system should a need rise.”
Updated: January 19, 2021, 9:13 am
Tourists on a yacht as they pass a traditional dhow (Kamran Jebreili/AP)
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Coronavirus infections are surging to unprecedented heights in the United Arab Emirates.
The daily virus case count has nearly tripled in the last month but Dubai cannot afford to shut down, particularly during its peak winter season.
The virus is shaking the foundations of the city-state’s economy.