Dubai authorities are looking into what life may look like in the emirate if Covid-19 is to remain a long-term threat. In a weekly briefing, Dr Amer Sharif, head of Dubai’s Covid-19 Command and Control Centre, said many countries were studying plans for how to “coexist” with the virus if a vaccine were not developed. Dr Sharif said it would be a matter of having rules and regulations that must be abided by to protect the public while making way for economic growth and a measure of normal life.
As the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned, the coronavirus, like any other virus that co-exists with us in the midst – may never go away completely. Most viruses that have come into being, exist to this day. HIV, Influenza, and several other viruses have crept into our lives, but sufficient research and therapies have allowed these diseases to be manageable so that people are able to live healthy lives, despite these being around. With this in mind, the authorities are adapting and strategizing long-term plans so that we as a nation can live with this virus head-on, rather than strategizing based on how the world will look like when vaccines or cures are developed.
“Dubai is looking into how to live with the virus long-term by balancing public health, the economy and community life,” he said. “We are all responsible and will play our role.”
The National (2020)
Dr Sharif said more details were being uncovered about the virus each day and that information would inform plans. Until then, we as the citizens of the UAE, should our trust into the Dubai authorities as their efforts to bring the city back to normalcy have been ongoing vigorously.
