The photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

The UAE government briefing spokesperson Dr Omar Al Hammadi said unfortunately, we have seen recently an alarming increase in the number of daily cases, compared to previous weeks. A daily increase of around 136 cases among both citizens and residents has been recorded.

Al-Hammadi said most of the cases were caused by gatherings resulting from family and social visits without compliance with precautionary measures such as social distancing and wearing masks.

Dr. Al-Hammadi also said, “We advise those who go to sports facilities, especially in closed places, not to go to them if they feel any symptoms, and it is important to leave a distance of at least two metres with others, wear masks, and sterilise hands before and after using shared devices.”

The risk of acquiring infection increases as the sport includes a greater number of participants.

For example, tennis is not as dangerous as basketball and team sports such as football are more likely to spread the infection than individual sports such as solo running and weightlifting.

Dr. Al-Hammadi said, “Sports practitioners breathe more intensely than others, which increases the chances of transmitting the virus through droplets coming out of them to others, so it is necessary to adhere to wearing a mask in the absence of the element of physical distancing.”

On the other hand, the claim that a commercial product is not harmful to human health does not mean that the product is effective for treating certain diseases.

Dr. Al-Hammadi said some people think that chlorine dioxide gas is suitable for treating viruses, so they expand the use of chlorine in other matters, which may cause lung, kidney and heart problems, so we warn against using any product without consulting the specialists.

Dr. Al Hammadi said, “The danger in promoting some commercial products is not in the potential side effects of them, as in the reliance of some on them for protection instead of relying on the approved precautionary measures.”