Author: News Desk

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi today completed a round of individual consultations with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, focusing on the coronavirus pandemic and the possibility of plurilateral cooperation in fighting COVID-19. All of GCC was covered in the ambit of India’s desire to work together with the Gulf region when Modi had his final conversation in the series today with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said of Oman. A common thread in Modi’s conversations with all the leaders in the Gulf countries was “the health and economic challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the steps…

A rule has been made to oblige everyone to wear a mask in public places as a precautionary measure to prevent Coronavirus (COVID-19). Such decisions will be taken in the future by knowing the virus more. “The current advice within the studies done in the United States and certain countries in Asia and the recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO) is to while keeping the social distancing wear also a mask. Not only for the infected people but also for the healthy people who are going outside on the streets.” said Lt. Col. Dr. Manaf Al Qahtani-Member of the…

“All decisions taken today were to enhance precautionary measures. Over seven weeks have passed and we have seen positive results that have been recognized across the world. Up to till this week, we still have the medical team, the capacity, and equipment to combat the virus and to treat the affected people and to quarantine them. All the decisions taken until now are for the benefit and interest of our community” *said Lt. Col. Dr. Manaf Al Qahtani-Member of the National Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus (COVID-19). * “As for current cases, there will be a rise as we are following…

“The level that we are in now with the national efforts to combat the coronavirus focuses on safeguarding the health of citizens and residents. At the same time, we are trying to protect the economic structure and sustainable development of our national economy” said the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism (MOICT), HE Zayed R. Al Zayani. Among 50127 tested in Bahrain 349 active cases were found. These include 345 stable cases and 4 critical cases. 458 people have been discharged until now with 4 deaths.

“More than 50,000 tests have been conducted ensuring that the health and safety of the citizens and residents of Bahrain are of top priority for us. The number of recovered cases are rapidly increasing with over 458 people being discharged as of now. The current capacity for the isolation and treatment centres stands at 1,667, for the private it stands at 172. As for the quarantine centres, the current capacity stands at 2,504 beds of which the capacity for the private is 321. As of now, we have four critical patients.” said Minister of Health Faeqa bint Saeed Al Saleh

“Based on the decision of the executive committee, several decisions have been issued which include the closure of cinemas, gyms, private pools. Activities of restaurants will be limited to only take away and delivery, sheesha shops limited to only providing food and beverages, salons closed and continuing certain services that are not urgent in the private sector. Shops will exclusively be opened to the elderly and pregnant women for one hour when the shops open” said the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism (MOICT), HE Zayed R. Al Zayani. These measures will be enforced from April 9 until April 23.…

Uber said on Tuesday it was temporarily stopping its services in several Saudi Arabian cities and governorates after a round-the-clock curfew was announced to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Uber will “pause” its services in the cities of Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran, and Al-Hofuf, and the governorates of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif, and Khobar, it said in an email to customers. The interior ministry has announced a 24-hour curfew in those areas. Uber had already suspended the option to book regular taxi services through its app in Saudi Arabia until further notice. Saudi Arabia’s health minister said the Kingdom’s coronavirus cases…

The number of stores providing e-services for consumers in the UAE rose by 150 percent in the past two weeks, according to an updated list published by the Telecommunications Regulation Authority, TRA. This significant surge reflects the expansion of e-services following the high demand from consumers in the United Arab Emirates. The updated list published by the authority also shows that many e-stores are specialised in consumer goods, as well as medicines, vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish. In detail, the number of mobile applications of e-stores rose to 55 as of 6th April, compared to 22 in the preliminary list…

The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, SCCI, has increased the number of online services as per its statistics for March 2020. According to a press release issued on Tuesday, the Chamber issued 467, 27 new memberships and 440 membership renewals online in March. About 1346 certificates of origin (document submitted by the exporter at the port of the importing country) and 50 attestations were also issued online during the same period. The chamber also issued 25 new memberships online in the free zones in March. These numbers reflect the success of the SCCI in enhancing its online and smart…

Saudi Arabia’s health minister on Tuesday warned of a huge spike in coronavirus cases of up to 200,000 within weeks, state media reported. The warning comes a day after the kingdom extended the duration of daily curfews in multiple cities, including the capital Riyadh, to 24 hours in a bid to limit the spread of the deadly virus. “Within the next few weeks, studies predict the number of infections will range from a minimum of 10,000 to a maximum of 200,000,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing health minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah. Rabiah, who warned the kingdom faces a “critical…