As the UK looks forward to the loosening of lockdown, people in Dubai are enjoying limited but strict rules in regards to Covid-19.
Vaccinations have become more widespread across Dubai, with many administered for teachers, by order of the KHDA (Knowledge and Human Development Authority).
Melody Elmoselhi, a Senior High English teacher at the Lycee Francais International Georges Pompidou said: “I took the Astrazeneca and got really sick for around 36 hours, which is the one the KHDA got for us.
“I feel grateful that I got the vaccine. Had I been in another country, I don’t think I would have gotten it as quickly as I did.”
In Dubai, many people have gone back to work, school, and their sports thanks to rules becoming more lenient towards the end of 2020. Most establishments gave the necessary equipment to people in order to fulfill the necessary requirements that come with their jobs.
Carole Sokhn, a Senior Investment Advisor in Private Banking at EmiratesNBD said: “The bank sent us very rapidly home at the beginning of the lockdown. We had the proper equipment to work from home which enabled us to work properly.”
“30 per cent of bankers are in the office, which includes the senior and top management, and the rest of us do rotations.”
However, during the Christmas holiday, many influencers came to Dubai, along with simple vacationers in order to escape the UK lockdown and strict rules in other countries. Mrs Sokhn claimed it was the same situation for many of her clients.
She said: “Many European clients came to Dubai because they knew we were handling the situation much better than in Europe.”
Evidently, because of the high number of cases in Europe and the UK, this caused a rise in cases in Dubai, and on the 15th of February, 3,123 cases were diagnosed according to the UAE government, compared to the 1,000 cases in December 2020.
The rules put in place by Dubai permitted the recommencement of many activities including sports. Swimming competitions began again in November 2020, however strict rules in place meant it was a lot harder for young swimmers to stay motivated during a pandemic.
