COVID-19 cases rise in Dubai - makes a case for Indians to be more alert
We have witnessed a trough as far as COVID-19 cases in Udaipur are concerned, over the past few weeks – however, the rush of tourists in Udaipur as well as those coming from abroad could cause this trend to reverse and put the City of Lakes back in the red.
Updated: Aug 6, 2021, 17:48 IST
Let us continue to welcome tourists and those coming from abroad to Udaipur - however we need to advise them to exercise strict social distancing protocols
COVID-19 cases in Dubai have quadrupled since November. A situation which seemed near normal in Dubai a month before the New Year set in, has suddenly taken a turn for the worst and given a brutal wakeup call to the Middle East tourist hub.
Despite the strict social distancing norms in Dubai during the lockdown months, something which was being cited as exemplary, the middle eastern beach paradise unwittingly opened its doors to tourists to come and revel in the New Year celebrations. Tourists from European countries flocked to Dubai, one to escape the winters and two, to come out of the strict COVID restrictions imposed in their countries.
"We approach things in a very measured fashion, but it's our philosophy that we should work through this pandemic. If we ask everybody to change their behavior 100%, it's very unlikely to get full compliance. In our case, we've asked people to tweak their behavior, to learn to live in the new normal, and people have embraced that," Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (in a statement made to CNN).
Little did one realize that this very phenomenon will push Dubai on the back foot and undo all the months of hard work that was done in an attempt to free the Emirate from COVID-19. Cases have risen dramatically and this opening up after a lull in COVID positive cases is the prime reason. The virus has caught up despite the precautions.
Social media is full of glamorous beach side and party photographs, which don’t tell the real story on what is. The authorities in Dubai, though, are determined to keep the tourism reliant economy in business, with stricter levels of compliance, but the cases don’t seem to be stabilizing or declining.
With this background in place, it is us in India who need to be more careful. Many Indians have also taken the Dubai route like the Europeans. Many visitors to Dubai during the New Year season and thereafter have been Indians. And they have either returned or are returning. Though the COVID tests are being conducted prior to exit from Dubai, there is still a fair chance that the tourists returning to India may have contracted the virus, and maybe the new and fairly more troublesome UK/South African strand.
Strict quarantine measures need to be suggested for those returning from abroad - Dubai and the Middle East countries included. We have seen a bottom in COVID-19 cases in Udaipur over the past few weeks – however, the rush of tourists in Udaipur as well as those coming from abroad could also cause this trend to reverse and put the City of Lakes back in red.
Source of information: Media Reports
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