UAE to Conduct 2 Million COVID-19 Tests

The United Arab Emirates announced that it plans to test two million people for the coronavirus, or 20% of its population, in the next eight weeks. This, after the infection rate began to surge again in recent days. Most of the UAE’s counter-virus restrictions were lifted in recent weeks following significant drops in the numbers of recorded cases. Yet, over the weekend, that figure began to climb again, and on Monday, 528 new cases were recorded, raising the total count to more than 52,000 with 324 dead. Nevertheless, the UAE intended to go forward with its plans to reopen. On Tuesday, foreign visitors will once again be allowed to enter Dubai after months of lockdown. “While it is worrying to see a slight increase in cases in the past few days, it is a reminder that we all should be responsible and committed to the health instructions,” said government spokesperson Amna al-Shamsi on Monday.