Coronavirus: UAE reports 735 Covid-19 cases, 538 recoveries, 3 deaths

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Wednesday reported 735 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 538 recoveries. Three deaths were also reported.

Nearly 80,000 new Covid-19 tests were carried out in the country, taking the total number of tests to over 7.2 million.
The 735 cases reported on Wednesday are the highest in 99 days, with 883 cases having been reported on May 27.

In an announcement late on Tuesday, it was revealed that the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) has directed a group of schools to switch to online education after suspected cases of Covid-19 was diagnosed among the school staff. "The announcement came after suspected cases of Covid-19 virus were found among the employees who were examined. The precautionary measure will remain in place until the results of the laboratory tests appear," NCEMA tweeted on Tuesday. The cases were detected during the implementation of the mandatory testing for teachers and administrative staff in schools before the start of the academic year, the authority said. Schools in the UAE reopened for the new academic year on August 30.

It was also announced that medical equipment like disposable suits, hand sanitisers, face masks, respirators for air purification and gloves will be subject to zero-rated value-added tax (VAT) in the UAE. A resolution stipulating this was adopted by the UAE Cabinet on Tuesday to mitigate the repercussions of Covid-19 and support the healthcare sector in the country. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, chaired the meeting at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi. He hosted virtually a number of teaching staff and students from different schools in the UAE. In a video and photos posted on his social media handles, he can be seen interacting with the students and teachers while they were in their classrooms.