The Dubai Executive Council has outlined a range of precautionary steps to ensure the health and safety of government employees and contribute to local and international efforts to combat the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

The move comes as part of the Dubai Government’s preventive measures against the pandemic, and under the directives of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council.

The measures include suspending fingerprint attendance machines and activating the ‘Smart Employee’ app or alternative attendance systems; and allowing pregnant female employees, elderly employees, employees with disabilities and employees with diseases that compromise the immune system to work from home.

Employees returning from overseas trips have been directed to stay at home until it is proven that they are not infected. In such cases, employees will receive their full salary and be allowed to work from home.

The General Secretariat of the Executive Council called on all government departments to postpone events and gatherings and offer flexible working-hours for mothers with children in Grade 9 or below.

Each department has been authorised to take additional precautionary measures in coordination with concerned bodies including sterilisation of the facility, furniture, office equipment, vehicles and elevators.

All departments have also been directed to encourage their customers to use online customer service apps; postpone non-critical overseas assignments and training programmes, especially in high-risk countries; use online meeting technologies; and raise awareness about essential precautionary measures among employees.

Meanhwile, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), has announced 11 new cases of the coronavirus in the UAE on Thursday.

According to a statement released by the Ministry, the individuals were placed under quarantine as suspected cases subsequent to their entry into the UAE. Following required testing and monitoring, the individuals were confirmed positive with COVID-19, it added.

The total number of positive coronavirus cases in the UAE has now reached 85, the MoHAP statement affirmed. The 11 individuals diagnosed with the new coronavirus include two Italians, two Filipinos, one Montenegrin, one Canadian, one German, one Pakistani, one Emirati, one Russian and one British citizen.

The ministry also announced the full recovery of a further three people from the novel coronavirus bringing the total number of recovered cases in the country to 20.

The Ministry said in a statement today that the individuals - a Bangladeshi, a Chinese and an Italian - are now “symptom-free” after receiving the necessary health treatment in hospital.

The UAE has also called on its citizens to refrain from travelling to India at present time, following recent concerns on the new coronavirus outbreaks in a number of countries.

Saudi Arabia has announced travel restrictions from European Union countries along with 12 others in a bid to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Travellers scrambled to rebook flights and markets reeled on Thursday after US President Donald Trump imposed sweeping restrictions on travel from Europe, hitting battered airlines and heightening global alarm over the coronavirus.

But China, where the disease originated, said its epidemic had peaked and the global spread could be over by June if other nations applied similarly aggressive containment measures as Beijing’s communist government.

Trump had downplayed risks to the United States during the crisis, but with epidemics ballooning from Iran to Italy and Spain, he limited travel from continental Europe for 30 days.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie are in self-isolation after she came down with flu-like symptoms and was tested for the new coronavirus, according to an official statement on Thursday.

Italy’s death toll passed 1,000 on Thursday, with 189 new fatalities taking its toll in just over two weeks to 1,016, second behind China, official data showed.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced plans on Thursday for a sweeping lockdown of the capital’s 12 million people, including a halt to domestic travel, in a bid to contain the deadly new coronavirus.

Agencies