School's Out Forever? The Corona Chronicles 7

I am pretty sure I am not the only UAE parent who spent part of Sunday in a daze having read this article in Gulf News, which suggests we may have to continue homeschooling our little darlings in September.

For me, early July when term ends, and I can stop torturing my five year old through daily doses of maths, phonics, letter and sentence formation, rudimentary Arabic, and so forth, and just let her get on with the business of being a child again during our time together, ie playing, has been a like a beacon that I am sailing towards through rough waters. As I get closer to that beacon, I also get closer to hurling myself into a lifeboat as I develop a shorter and shorter fuse while she finds increasingly ingenious ways to delay doing her lessons. So the thought of having to start it all again in late August, in year one, after she has spent seven weeks busily forgetting all we have struggled together for her to learn, is not a cheery prospect.

Mimi and Catkin. 

I know, I know, without a vaccine, the coronavirus is so virulent that sending the little disease factories back to the breeding ground without some kind of restriction would be foolhardy. But I do despair slightly that the impact this enforced isolation is having on the kids seems to be of little interest to those making the decisions.

The thing that really made me stomach hit the floor about the article linked above is the mention of the usage, or not, of school buildings, and, I quote, "the extent of a student's need to sit in a classroom five days a week, school hours, and the extent of the students' need to study daily from 7am to 2pm".

Does anyone else find that quote somewhat sinister? Does it, to anyone else, imply that the government may not just be looking at how to manage education during the coronavirus crisis, but that they may be considering wholesale changes to its education system in general? I know there has been much talk of the positive impact the crisis has had on the environment, the way the air is cleaner, roads are relatively traffic free, we can hear birds singing and so on thanks to the reduction in air traffic, and supposedly some are busy rethinking the need to attend business meetings in other countries when simple Zoom call will do.

Germinating seeds for online STEM day. 

But does this also mean we could see the beginning of the end of our education system as we know it? Could it be the impetus governments want or need to divest themselves of the need to provide physical schools for education and simply move the entire system online?

Honestly, I am aware of the economic and environmental benefits of making schools virtual from here on, but I also cannot think of a more depressing prospect for my children. We as parents are continually castigated for allowing our small children too much time staring at a screen due to the negative impact and the addictive nature of devices on small brains. Therefore, forcing their entire education interactions onto a screen for any kind of extended period, just fills me with abject horror. 

I know this is a giant example of worst case scenario doom mongering, but as the crisis continues, and the economic consequences pile up, and governments find themselves compelled to relax restrictions to save economies, not really knowing the potential impact or the number deaths they will cause by doing so, it is hard not to catastrophise. Maybe it is the case that DB1 and DB2 and their peers could after all be the last generation to be educated in a physical school environment, the virus may just be bringing the day when none of our children go to school forward. 

Phonics.

To slow down the doom mongering a little, it is true that there are upsides to DB1 not having to go to school. Foremost, is the fact that I get more time with her. Then, the days of the mad scramble of the school run and "discussions" such as this are temporarily over: "You need to eat more than one spoonful of cereal every 10 minutes if you want to finish it before we leave" and "No, I do not have time to read you a chapter of Dogman before driving you to school," and of course, the classic: "For the love of suffering f***, will you for s***'s sake put on your f***ing shoes, we were meant to have left 10 minutes ago if we are to have a chance of not going in the late book". I paraphrase, I do not really talk to her like that. Not very often, anyway. 

The reduced costs are another benefit. We have not filled the car with petrol since movement restrictions came into place. There is also dispensing with the need to blearily prepare packed lunches the night before, and the disappearance of the stress of remembering PE kits, theatre club clothes, reading books and swimming kits on the right days.

From my part, being a massive nerd, I did not have a great time at school for large parts of it, and even though that is not a problem afflicting DB1 yet, as far as I can tell, I am also quietly pleased that she gets to enjoy an extended break from the fray.

But, but and indeed but, that does not mean that I want her to be out of school forever. And it does not mean I want her to undertake her education remotely even over the medium term. Digital learning may be he future, but it is not something I would choose for any five year old. A child this age is still learning about human interaction, so to take it away from them and expect to pick up what they need to know about how to build friendships with their peers via a screen does not seem a happy prospect.

Right now, in the UAE, we have had 203 deaths from coronavirus, and approaching 20000 cases in total, a drop in the ocean compared to my home country, the UK, but still significant. Restrictions have been relaxed to a degree, although we have twice broken the record for the highest number of daily cases in the space of the last week. There is still precious little to compensate kids for the lack of school and daily interactions with their friends and teachers. All "family entertainment" venues are closed, meaning those UAE summer staples, the soft play centres, cinemas and so on. Public parks and beaches are slated to reopen, but with midday temperatures topping 35C, they are of little use from now until around October or November.

DB1 has coped with it all pretty well, she is on the whole a well behaved child, and she is interested in school enough to make a good stab at a lot of her lessons at home, but I feel so sad that her first year at "big school" will end this way, with end of term sports days and fun days replaced by me desperately trying to compensate for what she is missing out on, and, that it seems likely that a substantial part of her second year at school could be the same.

Him Indoors and I were talking about how to get through the next months, or possibly years of this crisis, without going insane, and we came to the conclusion that we may as well write off 2020 in terms of any kind of progress, and that just maintaining as much normality as possible, particularly for the kids, will be a win. We also resolved not to sit every evening, once the kids are asleep and there is a moment to think, discussing "the situation" and how we will move forward, because it is futile, as things seem to change daily. We just need to get through it and avoid agonising about it while sloshing back wine every evening, tempting as that may be. 

That is easy to say as it is hard to keep the feelings of stress and frustration at bay. And the general sense of doom about the possibility of remote learning continuing was not helped by the fact that yesterday was not a good day at the coal face. DB1's school, a fairly aspirational and well established British curriculum school favoured by the offspring of the staff of a certain large airline, has done a corking job providing as much of the curriculum as they can online.

If you are in any doubt how much effort DB1's school are putting in, this is one of the teaching assistants as Princess Leia for a Star Wars themed "dough disco" where they show the kids how to use play doh to improve their fine motor skills.

But school is not meant to be like this - me desperately trying to summon the requisite playful enthusiasm needed to teach a five year old and get some foundation stage phonics into her head, and pretending that brief online interactions with her teachers are just as good as having them on hand to help her with lessons.

I think it's safe to say she hit the wall yesterday, although she seems a bit happier today having had a one on one webex chat with her teachers. By the end of yesterday, I had to go and hide in the office and read some relaxing coronavirus statistics for my blog, if you will excuse that glib mention of this very serious situation. She is sick of my stupid face, I am not a school teacher by any stretch of the imagination, and believe me, being from a teaching family I am painfully aware of how lacking I am on that score.

As we lurch towards the end of our eighth week of me playing school teacher, we had both had enough. No matter how much the school says do not worry too much about the kids engaging with home learning, the fact remains that school life is rumbling on in the virtual sphere, and at some point, whether it is now or through hefty amounts of catching up within the next year, the work will have to be done. Yesterday finished, as many have, with me bellowing about how we could have finished the work and be doing something else by now if she would just bloomin' well get on with it. Believe me, that is not something I am proud of. I think the most difficult thing about it is the way remote learning changes your relationship with your child, adding a stressful new dimension to your daily interactions that neither of you, in all honesty, particularly want.

Again, there are upsides to learning this way. I am fairly sure sure she gets a lot more one to one attention from the teacher, even if the teacher is a woefully unqualified me. And I have enjoyed seeing her progress, as her reading and writing improve, that she is actually pretty good at maths, and finding out what she else she actually gets up to at school. Usually, the most I get out of her during the school run home is that school was "fine" and she "can't remember" what she did during the day.

What I also have not mentioned so far, in this endless screed, is that although we do know all of three families for whom the father is taking the homeschooling lead, this responsibility inevitably falls for the most part to the mothers. And there does not seem to be any discussions about the extra burden this places on stay at home mums, particularly those who have several kids at school, or how working mothers are still supposed to continue to work while shouldering the bulk of the responsibility of educating their kids at home. How are we supposed to magically fit in teaching around work? The ridiculous stereotype about women being multitaskers and being able to do it all is rife at the moment. And I worry that women will be expected to simply absorb the stress of it all, unrewarded and unpaid of course, unless the path we are on changes some time soon. 

Move number 17, in a time of Covid: The Corona Chronicles 6

A friend of mine, on reading this old post, about my 16th house move in 18 years, said she felt a little bit sick at the thought. Well, friend, if you are reading this, I think you may be about to vomit, because we have spent four and a half years at our current flat, and, knock me down with a Covid-infected feather, we are moving again. Him Indoors and I have never made it to five years at any of our places of residence since we left home in 1997 and 1998 respectively, so, you know, we thought, let's move house during Ramadan and a global pandemic, because we are MENTAL.

I have shared the above picture with you, taken this morning, because Him Indoors pulled off the miracle of completing the complicated admin involved in getting the keys to the new place today, despite everything that is going on, so the movers are coming at 9am tomorrow. You read that right.

The movers are coming tomorrow.

The. Movers. Are. Coming. Tomorrow.

As you can see, we have packed not a jot, because we are taken up with schooling (me) and work (him). Luckily moving is a pretty common occurrence in Dubai, what with one thing and another, so moving companies will do the lot, pack everything, right down to the 10 year old novelty pants stuffed at the back of your underwear drawer, and then pull down your curtains and put them back up in the new place. So it's fairly easy. In normal times. Now, of course, is not normal. Normally, one of us would supervise and the other would take the kids off somewhere, but there is no somewhere because everywhere is closed.

The malls are open but kids under 12 are not allowed in them, and even if they were, entertainment options such as soft play and cinemas are closed. You are allowed to take them out for a walk. For one hour. Parks are closed. Swimming pools are closed. What the hell are we going to do with a five year old and a one year old while we get our worldly possessions crammed into a lorry and driven 500 yards down the street to our new, bigger apartment? I have literally no idea, but I think it is going to involve going for the obligatory hour long walk when the movers first arrive, then taking the kids to the new place to run around until the movers get there, then bringing the kids back to the old place to play cleaning so the movers can do their thing at the new place.

Why the hecking heck of all f***s are we doing this to ourselves? Well, there was a half-hearted plan to move to an apartment nearer DB1's school because the commute is a pain at 7am and there is a school bus option, but it goes all around the houses, and it would take her the best part of two hours to do a half-hour journey on the way home.

This did not happen because of some tedious stuff to do with the landlord changing their minds about notice periods needed to move from one development to another, even though the landlord owns both. But, we did have the option to move somewhere bigger within the same development, and because there are currently five of us in a two-bed apartment, which, as Him Indoors would say, is not premium, we decided to go for it because if we don't do it now, we won't get the option until the same time next year, rents are at an all time low, so we are getting a bargain, and the alarming combination of restrictions plus UAE summer means we are spending a heck of a lot of time indoors, so we need more space.

There is also the fact that our unbelievable bellend of a downstairs neighbour has started thumping on the ceiling like a caged gorilla when DB1 does her 15 minute PE lesson twice a week, I can only assume because she has the temerity to to sound like she might be having fun and these people are the enemies of joy. It is, of course, beyond him to give us a tiny bit of a noise-based leeway for a child who is literally imprisoned in a two-bed apartment 23 hours per day seven days per week. Of course it is.

Five of us, you say? Have I squeezed out an extra kid without mentioning it? That would be very unlike me. No, our formerly live out nanny has had to become live in for the time being as the Covid restrictions mean she would not be allowed to come and go from our house. As great as our nanny is, it has been somewhat cosy over the past month or so. The new place has an extra bedroom, a little room that I can use as an office. And a store room. A store room! AKA a place where I can throw all the stuff in that I swear I am going to sort out but never get around to, close it and forget about it. This may not sound ideal, but believe me, it will be better than the hourly rages about the fact that my house is full of stuff that I have nowhere to put and there is nowhere I can look without seeing a surface piled up with children's toys, school-related gubbins, lego, old notebooks, stationery, nick-nacks and piles of dust.

This will be fine of course until more stuff makes its way in to fill all the spaces, and the stuff in the store room gradually forms into a monstrous sentient being made up of old wires, forgotten birthday cards, clothes that I am too fat for and old baby paraphernalia that I want to sell but can't because of the restrictions, and crawls out and assumes command of the apartment and makes us all its slaves.

Anyway.

I really should go and do a bit of packing so I do not have to suffer the indignity of a team of movers hurling my ancient nursing bras and piles of dusty desk-based rubbish into the same cardboard box.

Wish us luck. 

How to be a Covid patient without having Covid: The Corona Chronicles 5

Something that has been at the back of my mind since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak here is what will happen if any of us experience any kind of medical issue while hospitals and clinics are busy with Covid-19 patients. Thanks to DB2 and her periodic super high fevers, I found out.

Just over two weeks ago, she started to develop a fever, which happens every other month or so. The familiar scenario of a small, sleepless and cranky child with no appetite emerged, and we survived on coffee for us and regular doses of paracetamol, followed by Nurofen when paracetamol did not even touch the fever, for her.

By Tuesday, she was no better, so I booked an appointment with a pediatrician at a well-known hospital as this has been happening more than I am comfortable with since she was born, with a particularly nasty episode when she was aged six months when she had to be hospitalised. During prior episodes, my local doctor had shrugged her shoulders and said it was most likely her older sister bringing home bugs from school. Well, I reasoned to myself, her older sister has not been near the school for getting on for two months, so something must be up. It did not occur to me to think it might be the c-word, as we have been observing all the lockdown rules.

Starting to feel better.

I asked for a telephone consultation to avoid having to venture out, but the admin staff said no, with a a fever you have to be seen by a doctor. But, once we were there, we were screened for fever and travel history by a security guard on the way in, although the forehead thermometer did not pick up DB2's temperature. Then, the doctor who was assigned to see DB2 would not see us once the nurse established she indeed did had a fever, as he was not seeing any fever patients, due to the risk of him being infected with Covid 19. I understand it, of course, the hospital must operate some kind of system where certain staff members have no contact with potential Covid patients at all to ensure they can keep running in the event of an outbreak among staff, but I did not feel particularly understanding being shunted off to a remote part of the outpatients section and left to wait in a corridor with a sick one year old while they decided what to do.

We were then dispatched to the accident and emergency department, while DB2's fever climbed, so she was given the usual fever reducing medicines and after having the life scared out of her by a doctor in full personal protective equipment of, gown, mask, visor and gloves, and following a series of complicated manoeuvres to get her to give a urine sample, we were sent home with a suspected ear infection and a prescription for Augmentin.

A bit peaky.

It was getting towards the evening by this time and the hospital started to take on an eerie quality as most of the day's outpatients left. There was no busy cafe open to sit and nurse an over priced machine-produced cappuccino and bribe fractious children by feeding them chunks of diabetes-inducing chocolate muffin while waiting for prescriptions.

Perspex screens surrounded the pharmacy, so one had to shout not only through a mask, but through a small gap between screens to be heard. The only people there besides us appeared to be those with acute pain relief needs, and a guy inquiring about a supply of alternative medicine to his usual brand, which was unavailable in the UAE, as he was unable to get back to the USA to see his doctor.

The pharmacists were run off their feet as even though there were relatively few patients, they had to spend much longer than usual on hold to insurers, with some of them on hold to two different insurers for two different patients on two different phones at a time. I expect health insurers are among the busiest people on the planet these days. The pharmacists were in full protective gear of gowns, hairnets, protective glasses, gloves and masks, making communication even harder.

Getting ready to be discharged. It took my until 24 hours after we arrived to realise those cupboard doors open by pressing them inwards. Prior to that, I had been levering them open using hospital cutlery. I was quite sleep deprived. 

While we were waiting to see the triage nurse earlier, we had seen a Covid-19-related episode which I imagine is fairly typical. A crew of a passenger ship turned up in reception, wearing the obligatory protective masks, saying they had been told to come to the hospital to get tested as they had been exposed by a passenger who had contacted them after disembarking to let them know they had tested positive. "We need to get tested so we can find out our status so we can get back to work," the guy in charge told the manager, who had to be summoned after the receptionist told him there were no tests available.

The hospital advised them to stay at home for 14 days to see if symptoms emerge, and then contact the health authority or a clinic if they became serious. Obviously, that would not be possible for a ship's crew on a sailing schedule. The discussions continued back and forth for a while, before the boss got on the phone to try to sort out tests for them. DB2 and I were called to see the nurse before I could earwig enough to find out what their next move was.

Our own hospital experience complete for the time being, we headed home. The kind A and E doctor tried to reassure me that it was most likely nothing to worry about, as even though DB2's big sister has not been near school, the little one could still acquire an infection as the tiny, narrow tubes that make up the pathways inside the ears, throat and urinary tract of a one year old are absolute breeding grounds for bacteria, so the slightest sniffle or incidence of being under the weather can lead to an infection.

On Thursday, after a couple more sleepless nights with fever spikes of nearly 41C, I took her back to A and E, as the doctor said to do so if she did not improve within 48 hours. After a stressful hour waiting for the online movement permits that we were using at the time for everything, and a tearful phone call to the service centre who told me to just go and show the police the "pending" message on my phone if they were to stop me, off we went.

By the time we got to the hospital, DB2 was clinging to me like a limpet and burning up. Even the triage nurse, who had been kind but a little abrupt on my first visit, called her a "poor child", and cleared the route through to the emergency ward as a fever for an extended period is one of the key signs of the c-word.

Intravenous antibiotics were prescribed and those of you with small children who have experienced similar will know how nightmarish that is. It involves two nurses holding down your screaming, sick and distressed baby to put the cannula into their hand. All I could do was bend over the hospital bed with a cartoon playing on my phone, acting like having her hand pierced and strapped to an IV drip was absolutely fine, totally par for the course, and attempting to sing silly songs to distract her while trying not to burst into tears myself.

An X-Ray was taken using a portable machine, to check for Covid-related lung infection, and I was asked to get her to provide another urine sample. I sighed heavily at this. Thanks to her history of high fevers and suspected urine infections, I know by now that getting a toddler to do this basically involves following your nappy off toddler around for hours and gradually getting covered in your own child's p*** as you try time after time collect it, while they employ a series of tactics to outwit you. as follows:

1. The stealth lap pee 

Sitting on parent's lap, waiting until they least expect that familiar warm sensation, usually when they are answering a phonecall or speaking to a doctor, commence peeing making sure parent has no chance of getting the cup ready on time.

2. The wanderer 

Walk around appearing to be reasonably content, with parent following closely behind, get into a corner to squat down and pee, it is even better if you are behind a piece of furniture, so your parent has no chance of catching any pee. Then if you are feeling really special, slip over in it and bang your head immediately afterwards, so your parent has no choice but to scoop up your pee-covered self and comfort you while also standing in a pool of pee aforementioned pee.

3. The stop/starter 

When your parent does succeed in getting the cup under you at the opportune moment, immediately desist from peeing and burst into tears, hold on to remaining pee if possible to maximise the chance of actually getting a urine infection if you don't already have one.

4. The p***taker

The A and E doctor could see I was about to lose it, particularly when DB2 decided to go and pee in the corner of the cubicle while I was busy Googling "how to get a toddler to give a urine sample" on my phone. Of course she did.

The doctor took pity and let me use the pediatric urine bag which fits in the nappy and does the collection job all by itself.

No such luck on the Thursday night. DB2's blood test results came back, and her infection markers were extremely high. In addition, having eaten pretty much nothing all day, she decided right before the cannula was fitted that it was a good time to eat a tangerine that I had shoved into my bag before leaving the house. Unfortunately, she then got so upset that a bit of orange went down the wrong way, and she started coughing violently, barely able to catch her breath. I could feel the tension in the room when she started displaying a second key Covid symptom.

So we were admitted. The nurse saw my face and said don't worry about the urine test, just get her to do it when you get to the ward. She was swabbed for Covid-19, so it turned out tests were in fact available in the hospital, the men I had seen in reception earlier in the week obviously did not meet the criteria. We were then taken up to the children's ward.

As we arrived, the duty doctor told me that they suspected she had Covid-19, despite the fact that I had no idea how she could have caught it if she did as we had been at home as directed by the UAE government.

I am not going to keep you in suspense, she tested negative and we received the results on the Sunday morning, one week after she first became ill. The stronger intravenous antibiotics did the trick and sorted out whatever infection it was, so by day six, Saturday morning she was her old self, wondering around the hospital room, shouting "Bah" at the top of her voice, twerking to the Hokey Cokey played repeatedly on YouTube and eating handfuls of hospital pasta bolognese while covering as much of the hospital room as possible in the sauce.

Settling down for a two and a half hour nap at the exact point we were meant to be being discharged, because that's how she rolls. It was probably her longest sleep during our entire stay, including night-time. 

The time prior to this was pretty grim. As a suspected Covid patient, she was not allowed to leave the room, so neither was I, and we were allowed no visitors. The doctors for the most part did not come in at all, but called us on the room telephone when they needed to speak to us, the nurses, cleaners or ladies serving food were dressed in full protective gear, and it was only towards the end of the 66 or so hours that we were there that DB2 found that any less terrifying.

And then the urine sample. The saga of the goddamn sample. I am not joking when I say it took me the best past of 40 hours before I managed to collect it from her. The consultant in charge refused to let us use the urine collection bag in her nappy because he said they risked the urine being contaminated and therefore gave false positives. Far be it from me to suggest that they could test two or three samples if they were so worried about the false results, and save carers of children hours and hours of getting covered in gallons of pee.

After 24 hours of worry and very little sleep and being stuck in a stuffy hospital room with a toddler who was still sick and feverish and chasing her round and round with a small plastic cup, both of us getting more tired, stressed and upset in the process, I ended up demanding to see the doctor and had a row with her, which ended with me angrily refusing to let her ask the nurses to insert a tube into DB2's bladder collect a sample that way. I am not going to recount the conversation here, as it was not my proudest moment, but the general gist was "over my dead body will you do that to my child".

The nurse came to see me shortly after that, and said forget about it now, it's too late for the laboratory anyway, just try again in the morning. And sure enough, once DB2 was feeling better, by half way through the next morning, the job was done.

Our pseudo-Covid experience was mercifully short and obviously it turned out fine. But the stress of being alone in a room like that with a sick child is not one I would wish to repeat. She is fully recovered now, although various test results did not tell us what kind of infection it was that gave her such a high fever this time. We have been told that the super high fevers are not a particular worry, some children have them, some don't. It's just that some bodies react differently to illness than others. Although we have been told to keep an eye out for any similar episodes along with unexplained bruises or any more losses of appetite.

I do not regret taking her to hospital as the need for intravenous antibiotics showed that she was sick enough to be admitted,  and that I didn't expose her to potential Covid risk unnecessarily. I had read an article not long before she got sick saying that if your child was sick enough to need hospital treatment, you should not hesitate in taking them even if you are nervous about the the virus as clinics have measures in place to protect them. Although I was anxious about taking her, and I felt the staff were a bit to quick to assume it was Covid-19, they only had my word for the fact that she had not been exposed, and of course they cannot be too careful.

Seriously, though, friends, you need to avoid exposing yourself to even the suspicion of having this illness if you can. DB2 and I got off lightly, obviously, but being stuck in a room only visited by people who look like they are working on a nuclear waste cleanup is no joke, even for 68 hours.

Disclaimer. This is a subject hat comes up in one form or another reasonably regularly on here, but it is rather more serious at this rather difficult time. I have access to good private healthcare, I live in a rich country, even though I am as poor as a church mouse compared to some of the super rich types that frequent Dubai, I am unimaginably privileged compared with many both in the UAE and around the world. This blog is in no way a complaint about the standard of healthcare in my adopted homeland, and I realise that I very, very lucky to have healthcare cover at all, and no, I do not think I am badly off compared to those who are very sick, dying, died of or have lost loved ones to Covid-19, so please don't send me angry messages about that. Thanks.

The inevitable postponement of Expo 2020: The Corona Chronicles 4

The last few weeks saw the the news that Expo 2020 Dubai, the mega event world fair that was due to open in October, is to be postponed. As far as the international press is concerned, a one-year delay is a done deal, but the local press are saying a postponement is at the proposal stage.

For some context for those of you who have never set foot in the UAE, I wrote about the announcement of Dubai's winning bid, at what was a very different time in my life, and not just because there wasn't a global pandemic at the time. We were pre-kids, we were still running half marathons, we were living in a high-rise flat in Downtown, which was the venue for some corking new year parties thanks to a killer view of the Burj Khalifa and its gigantic new year fireworks display.

My shaky Blackberry shot of the Burj Khalifa, the night the winning Expo 2020 bid was announced, taken from our apartment in 8 Boulevard Walk. You would not be able to take a similar shot today as Emaar built several more towers in the gap between our old building and the Burj since then.   

I was in the midst of a short-lived semi-career change, working in-house as a copywriter for a real estate agency. My time there mirrored many in Dubai's experience in the run-up to and aftermath of the Expo bid. I was hired just after the win, there was an inevitable surge in interest in real estate, in both residential and commercial sectors, and then in June, the usual summer slowdown was not the usual slowdown, but a bit of a slump, and by November, I was seven months pregnant with DB1, and "made redundant" from my job. I say "made redundant", because  they brought in a younger, distinctly more male person, while I was still working there, to do my job, which is another story, connected to the fact that employee rights are not exactly top of the agenda for many. 

But I'm not bitter.

Anyway.

You can read in my old blog post, linked above, and here again, how Him Indoors and I looked at each other and sighed wearily when the winning bid was announced, because we knew that it would mean another spike in rental prices, and that we would be turfed out of our apartment by another unscrupulous landlord keen to get round rental increase caps of 20 per cent and find tenants willing to pay more.

It is also very easy to be cynical about Expo as the world now is unimaginably different from the one that saw the first World's Fair, which took place back in dear old Blighty in 1851. If you'll pardon me stating the bleedin' obvious: back then, if you wanted to see great innovations and inventions, the only real way to do so was to travel to see them in real life, whereas today you can of course see anything you like at the swipe of a smartphone without leaving the comfort of your armchair.

But, hosting the expo is a great source of national pride for the UAE. It is the first time an event of its kind has ever been held anywhere in the region, and the country has made a huge investment in creating a purpose-built expo site to the south of the city, and of course there is the small matter of the claims that the event will bring 25 million visitors to the UAE during its six month duration.

With the airport currently closed except for a fraction of its usually scheduled flights, entry suspended even for pre-existing visa holders, and the emirate of Dubai living with some of the tightest restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19, it was of course inevitable that it would be postponed. Talk of a vaccine for this miserable disease is apparently a long way off, and it seems unlikely it will be ready for widespread use by October this year, so it would be a kind of madness for it to go ahead.

While its cancellation may not have the same global impact as that of the Tokyo Olympics, it is big news for the UAE, and for those who livelihoods depend on it going ahead in October. It is not for nothing that the event was being marketed earlier this year as the world's greatest show.

On broader level, there are many millions of us, Him Indoors and I included, whose livelihoods depend on things returning to some kind of normality at some point soon. But, I remember saying to him in the early stages of the outbreak as it began to spread from country to country: "Can't people just stop s***ing all over the world?" And surely that will have to be the case if a vaccine is not identified, will it not? Perhaps regular air travel will once again become the preserve of the super rich. If Greta Thunberg is not enough to convince the great and the good that burning tons of fossil fuel for the sake of attending a meeting or a conference that could easily take place online, or for the sake of "winter sun" or having a place to drink beer at a third of the price of one's homeland on a stag night, then maybe the risk of contracting a potentially fatal strain of viral pneumonia, or passing it on to a vulnerable loved one, is.

Maybe we are about to see the last of these global events. After all, many of us who were told, no, it is simply not possible for you to work from home, found that suddenly, when there is no other option, it is perfectly possible after all, albeit with the help of the dreaded Zoom. And my inbox is stuffed full of press releases about events and conferences that are being cancelled and hastily reconvened online.

There is no doubt that when the expo does eventually go ahead, it will be enormous, brash, bursting to the seams with the evidence of hefty quantities spent on staging it. But perhaps, in its efforts to host the expo to host all expos, the UAE has inadvertently done just that. Perhaps when the new normal is not getting on a plane at the drop of a hat, experiencing the wonders of an expo is purely something that will take place virtually, and these in real life experiences will be the a thing of the past.

It's my blog and I will grumble if I want to: The Corona Chronicles 3

Public service announcement: If you found my blog because you're looking for information about how Covid-19 is affecting the UAE, you will find a page with everything that's been happening (that I am aware of) here. 

I'm sitting here on a Saturday night, looking down the barrel of week two of home learning with DB1. She's a good girl, even though she reserves any bad behaviour for me alone, and sometimes her father, and our nanny, if she's really feeling like sharing the love. But I should not grumble, (although grumbling is something I will return to later) as home learning has been OK so far, even though it was hard to keep up her motivation on day four or five, the weekend came just in time to give her a long enough break that I feel OK about tackling it again tomorrow.

To set the scene of what it's like here as I sit writing this: In Italy, they have been playing glorious renditions of folk songs or opera to each other from their balconies during their confinement. Here, in our development, in a northern suburb of Dubai, to celebrate the healthcare workers and also, today, Earth Hour, various neighbours have been sort of loudly groaning and playing what sounds like a vuvuzela.

I started writing this last weekend, before things got really, serious, before we were were told we shouldn't leave the house except to go to the supermarket or to carry out "essential" work, and then we cannot go out at all from 8pm to 6pm unless we apply for a permit to do so while government workers carry out nationwide street sterilisation.

So I took DB2 on one of her nap walks, as she has always slept better in a moving buggy or car, and although the officially declared cases were and still are tiny in number compared to the most badly affected countries, there was a quiet sense of unease in the air that something is out there waiting to get us.

That sounds melodramatic, but while it was not supernaturally quiet, it was certainly more silent than usual. The complex where we live can be a noisy old place. We are next to a six, or is it seven lane highway? I've lost count. We are close to Dubai International Airport (DXB) so reasonably low flying jets are ordinarily our constant companions, but the flights were already drastically reduced in number, and stopped altogether now, except for the odd evacuation flight and cargo. Lorries usually beep away as they deliver to the small supermarket across the street from us. The call to prayer is sometimes absent now as the prayers are temporarily taking place in people's homes as one of many measures taken to curb the spread of this s***ing awful virus.

I watched the road for a minute or so as DB2 slept, and I would say about one out of every three vehicles on them was a delivery motorbike of one kind or another. I saw a taxi driver frantically tapping his monitor, presumably desperate for a fare, any fare, to appear on the screen, and another driver, this time for our local equivalent of Uber, Careem, sitting idle, presumably doing the same.

A couple weeks ago, I caught a taxi back from a doctor's appointment. I usually try to chat to them as they do not get paid high salaries which can be a challenging way to live in Dubai, and let's just say a lot of people are not that nice to them. The driver on that day had recently left a job as an electrician to be a driver, because it was a jump up in salary.

"How's that going?"

"It was OK," he said. "Then corona destroyed it."

At the time of writing, taxis are still allowed to operate, but I imagine most of them are experiencing similarly difficult circumstances as the friendly driver I met on that day, which was only a couple of weeks ago, but doesn't it now seem like a century ago?

To return to the subject of "mustn't grumble", I am seeing a lot of delightful memes about how blessed we all are to have this time with our families, and how many, many people are in worse situations than those of us who can afford to stay home in order to protect their families from Covid-19, and so on. And then there are the people who I am starting to think of as the enforcers, who are on every single Facebook community group, lecturing people about how they should stay at home and like it, and that they are basically selfish individuals if they express any desire to leave the house or any kind of dissatisfaction with this confinement so many of us are now experiencing.

I want to make it abundantly clear that I am abiding by the stay at home rules, I have not left the house except to occasionally stick my head out the door for fresh air or go to the supermarket for groceries, since the restrictions came into place. But, I find the level to which some people seem to be relishing this experience, relishing the need to stay on their sofas in their pants watching Netflix, and what's more, relishing threatening to report people to the authorities if they believe they are not complying to the absolute letter to the rules, maddening. I have had to leave most of the local community groups I mentioned above because they were depressing the heck out of me, which is a shame because they are useful for community news and updates and answers to the occasional thorny kid-related issue that arises during my somewhat haphazard parenting. It is the glee, I tell you, the absolute glee, that they say they are going to call the police that really sickens me, even more so than the act of calling the police itself.

And, of course I am happy having some more time with DB1 and DB2, particularly as I started getting back into work when the littlest one was nine months, (which is actually pretty good by UAE standards, as many women end up going back to work when their babies are just 45 days old, but that's another story) and it has been super hard having to head into work and leave her with the nanny some days, particularly as she has had a rough time with infections at certain points. And it will be even nicer when Him Indoors is working from home next week.

But I feel regret that what was becoming a quite a nice portfolio of freelance work has basically evaporated over night, and this home learning businesses means that I am not exactly flush with time to source new projects.

We live in such a flippin' binary world these days. I bore Him Indoors about this regularly, but it seems anathema to so many that one can feel two things at the same time, a trend that I attribute to social media, as people who hold the opposing view to you will quite happily make threats to your family or tell you that you are a cretin, having never even heard of you minutes earlier, never mind know anything about you.

Again, of course I am observing the rules the government has put in place to stop the virus ravaging the country and overwhelming the healthcare system the way it has elsewhere, but I still regret the economic impact, the colleagues who have lost jobs, been scaled down to three days per week, lost countless freelance projects, and the impact on the wider economy which could be felt for years, and the many, many thousands, millions, worldwide who will more than likely lose their jobs, and the impact on their families.

I particularly regret the schools closure, and the need to keep children away from their friends. Frankly, it is cruel, expecting a child who spends most of her days with a class of 24 kids to suddenly be content with just her parents and a nanny as her entire social circle. Again, I know why it has been done, but that does not stop me feeling sad for DB1, particularly when I saw the look on her face when she saw all her friends in a Zoom call that one of the parents of a classmate set up, and when I see the struggle to concentrate on lessons with me clumsily attempting to guide her through phonics, repeatedly having to Google "digraphs", instead of the highly trained professional who had been helping her thus far.

I know why these tight curfews are in place, I have seen what the virus has done elsewhere, but frankly, it sucks being confined. Anyone who has ever sought any kind of help for any kind of mental health issue will tell you is that one of the first things the professionals tell you is that if you are feeling low, you need sunlight, you need fresh air, you need endorphins from exercise to help you. Staying inside, away from natural light, away from fresh air, watching endless TV, or playing endless video games, or whatever, is the last thing that will help, and I fear for what will happen to many of us should this continue for more than a few weeks.

I know millions and millions of people all over the world are in similar situations, but I am drawing a line under "mustn't grumble". I will flippin' well grumble if I feel like it, thanks very much, because this situation is unprecedented, it is awful, and frankly, it would be weird if we did not feel stressed to the eyeballs about it for at least a 30 per cent of our waking hours.

So, my dearest readers, you have it on my authority, it is OK to grumble, it is OK to love being with your kids more but feel you could happily crack open the wine by 10am to get through another day of teaching the little blighters. It is OK to worry about keeping your job but also feel relieved to not have to do your horrible commute, and be away from your highly strung boss. I absolve you. Grumble away, I know I will be for as long as this extended nightmare goes on, and getting through about 100 times my usual Dairy Milk consumption, which was pretty high anyway. 

Iceland was robbed: The Corona Chronicles 2

Public service announcement: If you found my blog because you're looking for information about how Covid-19 is impacting the UAE, you will find a page with everything that's been happening, here. 

I'm setting here at the end of a day mainly spent inside our flat with Him Indoors and DB1 and DB2. We have not yet been told to stay home by the government, but let's just say, so many things are closed it is barely worth going out, and we have been advised by them that that may be for the best. I don't want this to be another doom and gloom post, so I have chosen a light-hearted thing to write about, which I will get to, I promise.

Obviously, it has been something of a weird day, ended with a sobering announcement of how fast the virus is spreading in my dear homeland, particularly London, the city I called home for nearly 10 years before we moved here.

While this is not a cheery subject I have chosen to take over this blog for the time being, I really do not want this to be a total misery fest, so today, children, we need to talk about the fact that Eurovision has been cancelled this year.

I heard this news a little later than most, today, on the BBC's Coronavirus Newscast, which some of you may well know, is a daily podcast on the virus-related news of the day, which features the same team as Auntie's mega juggernaut of a podcast Brexitcast, with added scientists and experts. It is a good listen, and manages, for the moment at least to occasionally be light-hearted.

Today, Adam Fleming, who has returned from his post in Brussels to work for the BBC in London, announced with Radio DJ Scott Mills that Eurovision, yes Eurovision, is cancelled this year, something that, obviously, has to happen, putting thousands of people from all over the continent in a stadium together to watch bands from all over the continent perform would basically be some kind of madness. I am sure a fair few of you are now thinking: "So there is a silver lining to this virus after all," but I think us masochists who enjoy watching it, who also happen to be Remain voters, would have loved the chance to see the typically absolutely risible UK entry, more risibly bad than any Eurovision entry in history, most likely being awarded "nil points" as is a fairly frequent occurrence anyway, followed by being booed off stage as punishment for leaving the EU. Alas, it is not meant to be.

I was also looking forward to seeing the obvious winner, Iceland, win big at this year's event. For those of you who do not follow Eurovision, first of all - what is wrong with you? This stuff is cultural comedy gold. Just look at it:

You see. The guy's name is Daði Freyr. I had to go and copy the special d from another website as I do not have it on this content system. This one of the many points I am glad I have always been a print or online journalist, so I do not have to make an absolute t*t of myself trying to pronounce his name. 

Honestly, the tune is an absolute banger. Now, those of you who know me personally, and let's face it of the people reading this blog that is the vast, vast majority of you, can imagine me saying the phrase "absolute banger" and how totally ridiculous that would sound. If that does not cheer you up, honestly, nothing will.

I do feel heartily sorry for Mr Freyr and his deadpan band, several of whom I believe are related to him. What am I talking about? They're Icelandic, everyone is related to everyone there. That is not a racial stereotype, it's true, read about it in my fascinating blog about our trip to Iceland. 

I heard about this track due to Mr Freyr clearly having something of a good social media team, as his tune made it into my Facebook feed, and I saw it and immediately thought: "That is a winner." And Iceland, bless them, with their 300,000 strong population (?) I think, came up with this absolute quality tune, which I would actually listen to other than just for the usual kitsch Eurovision value. 

I remember seeing postcards in Iceland that made fun of the fact that Icelanders have a great fondness for music. For example: "What do you do for a living?" "I am a plumber, but I also do music." "I'm a teacher but I also do music." "I'm an accountant but I also do music." Etc. I am sure there is anthropological research on why this is, but I would guess it is something to do with the long, dark winters. Singing songs was probably most likely a way to get through them, and that has endured. With apologies to my friends who are from Iceland. Feel free to tell me that that is a right load of stinking old b***ocks if you wish.

They have never won before according to my two second Google research. But I think they would have been a sure fire winner this year. I'm sorry, Iceland, you have missed your chance. I probably would not have actually stayed up to watch you because of the time difference, and I'm usually passed out by the time the competition would have most likely been starting, but I would have certainly celebrated your victory the following day. Iceland, it was not meant to be. Let us visualise together when this stinking awful disease has finished wreaking havoc, and the deadpan Daði and his band can delight us on another stage. 

Good night, friends, family and readers. I love you all. Stay well.

  

TIMELINE for Covid-19 in the UAE: Part 1 - 29/01/2020 - 29/04/2020

This page is dedicated to the toll that the coronavirus is taking on the UAE, in terms of cases, losses, and the restrictions and disruptions that we are now living with while we attempt to keep the disease at bay.

The most recent news is just below these introductory paragraphs, and you can scroll down and see all the way back to late January when Covid-19 first arrived in the UAE. Feel free to contact me if you hear of anything new.

29th April 2020

549 new cases, nine deaths, taking totals to 11929 and 98, 148 recoveries, taking that total to 2329.

An official says the majority of cases in the UAE do not exhibit symptoms, highlighting the need to continue with measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Police say  people are free to travel between emirates for work and for staycations.

Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad delays the resumption of regular passenger flights by another month until 16th June 2020.

28th April 2020

541 new cases, seven deaths, bringing totals to 11380 and 89.

UAE residents who have non-resident children, previously visa holders, stranded abroad, have appealed for them to be given priority once visit visas are reopened.

Tourism in Dubai could resume as early as July, but may be pushed to September, depending on the progress in the fight against Covid-19. Airport passenger arrivals have been suspended in the emirate since 25th March.

27th April 2020

The number of daily announced cases falls for the first time. 490 cases, six deaths, taking the totals to 10839 and 82.

Dubai Metro, and other forms of public transport, start to reopen.

The Khaleej Times reports on 58 studies taking place in the UAE to combat coronavirus.

26th April 2020

Today the UAE surpasses 10,000 cases. 536 new cases, five more deaths, taking those totals to 10349 and the number of deaths to 76. Another day when the Ministry of Health and Prevention reports carrying out 35,000 tests.

Al Ras and Naif, areas of Dubai that were living with some of the strictest restrictions to prevent the coronavirus spread, not being allowed out at all, even for shopping, and relying on government food deliveries, have the restrictions lifted, after no new cases are reported in two days. Residents must remain indoors from 10pm-6am in line with the rest of the emirate.

Dubai malls partially reopen with Covid-19 restrictions in place.

25th April 2020

532 new cases, seven more deaths, total cases now 9813, deaths 71. 127 new recoveries, taking that total to 1887. The UAE has also now carried out more than one million tests for coronavirus. The Mninistry of Health and Prevention states that the decision to close mosques, something Muslims will find particularly difficult during the Holy Month of Ramadan, is being reviewed regularly.

Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad extends its suspension of flights until 16th May.

In a story that shows how the virus is changing relationships between countries that have had geopolitical and economic links for decades, centuries even, those who have lost loved ones to none-coronavirus-related causes in the UAE are having difficulties repatriating their bodies, the Khaleej Times reports. Indian citizens told the paper that after waiting at Indira Ghandi Airport, New Delhi, to receive the bodies of relatives, they were told they would not be able to receive them, and the remains had been returned to Abu Dhabi, due to a a new order implemented by India's Ministry of Home Affairs.

24th April 2020

525 new cases eight deaths, making totals of 9281 and 64. 123 new recoveries, making that total 1760.

New guidelines are issued, signalling a relaxing to some restrictions currently imposed on residents. Residents now no longer need a permit to leave the house between 6am and 10pm, but they must still wear masks, particularly when visiting the supermarket, and carry on observing social distancing.

Restrictions are applied regarding celebrations during Ramadan. No tents or tradition majlis are allowed, the elderly, chronically sick or vulnerable are asked to carry on remaining at home. The tradition of exchanging plates of food between neighbours and friends will not be allowed this year. You can visit first and second degree relatives, but only five people are to be present at any one time.

Residents are allowed out to exercise, for example, cycling, walking and running, but only in the vicinity of their home, and once per day.

Going to the shopping mall is also permitted, but not for children, and those going are expected to wear masks and observe social distancing.

More Ramadan guidelines, showing that although detected cases and numbers of deaths seem to be increasing day by day, certain parts of the UAE economy are functioning. This link shows revised market timings for the holy month. And beauty salons can operate, from 12noon to 10pm for both men and women, but for hair and nails only.

A three-year-old Emirati girl is reunited with her parents after a 50-day separation. She travelled with her grandmother to Saudi Arabia, her mother was unable to follow as planned two days later due to travel restrictions. She was returned to the UAE after special arrangements between the two governments.

23rd April 2020

518 new cases, four more deaths, taking totals to 8756 and 56. 91 recoveries, bringing that total to 1637.

Authorities start to outline plans and restrictions that will be in place once shopping malls reopen.

Mediclinic starts to offer virtual consultations with doctors.

Dubai lawyers note an increase in divorce inquiries since the start of the outbreak.

22nd April 2020

483 new cases, detected as a result of 31807 tests, six more deaths, taking the totals to 8238 and 52. 131 more recoveries, taking that total to 1546. 

The UAE announces the opening of three more field hospitals across Dubai and Abu Dhabi for the treatment of coronavirus patients. The first will be in Emirates Humanitarian City, the second at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, the third at Dubai Parks and Resorts. The hospitals will have a combined capacity for 3900 patients.

21st April 2020

490 new cases, three more deaths, taking totals to 7755 and and 46. 83 new recoveries, taking that total to 1443.

Aviation Business reports that Emirates Airline regular scheduled commercial flights will remain grounded until July 1st 2020 at the earliest.

It is also announced that Emirates Airline staff will now wear personal protection equipment, including a gown and visor in addition to the masks and gloves. The airline had already announced that that all passengers are required to wear mask and gloves throughout the flight.

The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) agrees to the postponement of Expo 2020 Dubai. The expo will now open on 1st October 2021.

20th April 2020

484 new cases, two more deaths, bringing totals to 7265 and 43. 74 new recoveries, bringing that total to 1360. The Ministry of Health and Prevention also announced that the new cases had been detected via 25795 tests that had taken place nationwide. The Ministry's spokesman Dr Farida Al Hosani stressed the importance of adhering to vaccination schedules for other diseases for children during the time. She said: "We are already going through exceptional circumstances during this period, and vaccinations are important measures. We must not forget this, no matter the circumstances. Vaccination schedules for children must be adhered to in order to safeguard their health and safety."

The UAE Fatwa council announces that medics and patients are exempt from fasting during Ramadan in 2020. Taraweeh, traditional Ramadan evening prayers, can also be performed at home rather than in the mosque this year. Eid Al Fitr prayers, which mark the festival at the close of the holy month, will also be performed at home if social distancing requirements are still in place.

Khaleej Times reports that 23,000 foreign nationals have been repatriated from the UAE, and 2,286 Emiratis have been returned from other countries.

19th April 2020

479 new cases, four more deaths, one Gulf national and three Indian nationals, taking the totals to 6781 and 41.

The UAE receives 5.5 million hydroxycholoroquine pills  from India. The medicine, usually used in the treatment of malaria, has been found to be effective in the treatment of coronavirus, reports Arabian Business.

The UAE Government announces that the Holy Month of Ramadan, a time of year when families and friends usually gather to break their fast at sunset, is is likely to begin on 24th April.

18th April 2020

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, posts a short video pledging that the UAE will beat the coronavirus.

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, inaugurates a field hospital at Dubai World Trade Centre for the treatment of coronavirus patients. The first phase of the hospital has a capacity of 300 beds for patients with mild to moderate symptoms, but is expected to have a maximum capacity of 3000.

The Indian ambassador to the UAE urges Indian nationals living in the county not to panic and appeals for calm.

17th April 2020

477 more cases, two more deaths, taking the totals to 6302 and 37. 93 new recoveries, taking that total to 1188.

Dubai extends its 24-hour sterilisation programme by another week, meaning existing curfew restrictions will also remain in place.

16th April 2020

460 new cases two more deaths, taking the totals to 5825 and 35. The Ministry of Health and Prevention also announced 61 new recoveries, taking that total to 1095.

Abu Dhabi announces free testing for workers, including those without valid residence visa. The clinics are located in Mussafah.

Flexible visa transfers and extensions are being offered to residents in Dubai as part of measures to help residents who have lost their jobs and cannot return to their home countries.

Restrictions get tighter for Dubai residents, meaning they can now only apply for a permit to go to the supermarket once in three days, and to visit the ATM once in five days. Rumours were circulating prior to this that some people were applying for grocery permits and using the travel time to go to visit friends or family for the weekend, and then applying for the same permit two days later in order to return to their usual accommodation.

15th April 2020

432 new cases, five more deaths, bringing the totals to 5365 and 33. The total number of recoveries is now 1034.

India is to fast track procedures the export of hydroxychloroquine, being used in the treatment of coronavirus, to the UAE.

India Today reports that 400 Pakistani prisoners are to be released from prisons across the UAE and repatriated after quarantine to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Repatriation flights to Pakistan by the country's national carrier PIA are due to start on 18th April.

14th April 2020

412 new cases, three more deaths, bringing the totals to 4933 and 28. 81 new recoveries were announced, bringing that total to 933.

Gulf News offers insights from medics saying the coronavirus could reach its peak between mid May and mid June in the UAE.

13th April 2020

Indian citizens stranded abroad, including in the UAE, are  told to expect borders to remain closed for another month. The national reports that the state of Kerala alone could be expecting 70,000 citizens to return from the UAE once restrictions are lifted.

The Deccan Herald reports that 19 Indian citizens are stranded inside Dubai Airport after Indian borders were closed as they were transiting through the airport. 

12th April 2020

387 new cases, two more deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 4123.

Arab News reports plasma therapy - use of antibody rich plasma from recovered patients being used to treat sick ones, being trialed in the UAE.

Al Arabiya reports that the UAE will review labour ties with countries who refuse to accept citizens for repatriation during the coronavirus outbreak.

11th April 2020

376 new cases announced, bringing the total to 3736, there are also 170 new recoveries, taking that total to 588. Four more deaths take the total number of deaths in the country to 20.

Gulf News reports that hundreds of Filipino citizens are asking to be repatriated. The paper also reports workers from Indian and Pakistan who arrived in the UAE earlier this year only to be left stranded with no jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak.

10th April 2020

370 new cases, two more deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 3360. The total number of deaths is now 16. The two people who died were Asian expats who had underlying health conditions, the Ministry of Health and Prevention said.

Three people are arrested for mocking Dubai's efforts to contain the disease and the stay at home movement.

The UAE flies 11 tons of aid to the Ukraine while also repatriating 113 Ukrainian citizens.

9th April 2020

331 new cases, two new deaths, 29 recoveries, bringing the total number of cases in the UAE to 2990.

13 new drive through testing centres open across the UAE.

Reuters reports that Dubai is setting up field hospitals in case of a surge in coronavirus cases.

8th April 2020

300 new cases, bringing the total to 2659 in the UAE. 53 new recoveries, bringing that total to 239.

Despite it perhaps not being the priority at this time for many, Dubai police say it is possible to move house during this period if you apply for an official permit.

Confusing times regarding the resumption of out-bound flights with Dubai's low cost carrier, flydubai. WhatsOn published a story yesterday saying flights would resume to Indian and Pakistan from 16th April, only to publish an update today saying in compliance with the governments of India and Pakistan, the airline would no longer be offering these services. The airline's official update does not currently offer any clues, but attempts to go through booking process suggest the flights are in fact not available.

7th April 2020

283 new cases, one more death, bringing the total number of cases to 2,359, and the total number of deaths to 12. 19 more recoveries were also announced bringing that total to 186. Not for the first time, the Ministry of Health and Prevention attributed to the new cases to contact tracing of existing cases and increased testing, and said most cases were caused by failure to adhere to precautionary measures, physical distancing and home quarantine. Few details are available about the latest person to die of the virus in the UAE, other than that he was an Asian man.

Dubai's Waterfront Market is given permission to resume business as usual.

100 days have passed since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak.

6th April 2020

277 new cases, 2076 in total, 23 recoveries.  One death, 11 deaths in total. Dr Farida Al Hosani, spokeswoman for the UAE health sector, said the increase in cases was not cause for alarm, but due to the increase in the number of tests being carried out.

UAE parents seek a school fees discount as classes have been moved online for the remainder of the summer term.

5th April 2020

294 new cases, 1799 in total, 19 new recoveries.

Movement restrictions are ramped up in Dubai, meaning residents have to apply for a permit to leave the house to go shopping, whether they are travelling by car, by bike, or on foot. The form to apply for the movement permit can be found here.

Dubai Future Foundation predicts working from home will be the new normal.

Emirates flight takes home 345 Britons left stranded by UK travel restrictions.

Abu Dhabi extends closure of public venues.

4th April 2020

241 new cases, total 1505, 17 more recoveries. 

Members of the public told to wear masks when out in public at all times.

Dubai imposes new restrictions regarding shopping, with only one member of the family allowed to go at a time, and that masks and gloves must be worn.

3rd April 2020

240 new cases, total 1264, one death,  a patient in his 50s with underlying health issues including kidney problems, 12 more recoveries, taking that total to 108.

3,000 tests carried out at drive through facility in Abu Dhabi.

Etihad pledges to restart some passenger flights, with passenger repatriation flights also promised by both national carriers.

Retailers told they could lose their licences or face fines of up to AED 2 million for price gouging on food and medical items.

Abu Dhabi extends ban on events and parties.

Three drive-through centres to be opened in Dubai.

2nd April 2020 

210 new cases, total 1024, 35 more recoveries. The Ministry of Health and Prevention attributes the new cases to people coming into contact with other infected individuals and not maintaining social distance, and travel abroad.

Emirates announces it will resume some passenger flights from 6th April.

Entry is suspended to the UAE for valid visa holders for a further two weeks.

Retailers are told they could face fines of up to AED 2 million for price gouging on food and medical items.

RTA taxi drivers are to team up with stores to delivery groceries and postal items.

1st April 2020

150 new cases, two more deaths, with the global cases total racing towards the 1 million mark. The total number of cases in the UAE is now 814, eight deaths and 61 recoveries.

Gulf News reports a new remote work policy from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation which states that offices must operate at a capacity of 30 per cent only, with the remainder of staff working remotely.

Etisalat offers free internet calling services. For the uninitiated, apps such as Skype are ordinarily blocked in the UAE, and residents are required to subscribe, for a fee, to government-approved apps such as Botim for a monthly fee. In normal times, residents bear the cost while friends and relatives from around the world can normally access it for free to stay in touch with us.

Al Ain Hospital closes its emergency department and is given over to the care of coronavirus patients.

31st March 2020

53 new cases, one death.

Al Ras, a community in Deira, one of the oldest parts of Dubai, is to go into total lockdown for two weeks while it undergoes deep sanitisation. Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management has imposed tougher restrictions on the movement of people and traffic due to the density of the population in the area. Dubai Health Authority will provide essential supplies during this period.

The National publishes pictures of barriers being places in the Al Ras district as street sanitisation gets underway.

The Government of Dubai announces a cash injection to Emirates airline, which has temporarily suspended all passenger flights.

30th March 2020 

41 new cases announced, 611 in total, two more deaths, a 48-year-old Arab man, and a 42-year-old Asian man, both of whom had underlying illnesses, five deaths in total.

Expo 2020 Dubai looks to postpone to 2021.

Online learning will continue until the end of term for all UAE pupils and students.

The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation announces that private sector businesses can take a number of measures including laying off staff, allowing working from home, temporarily or permanently reducing salaries during the coronavirus crisis period. According to Gulf News, while companies will be permitted to lay off staff and stop paying salaries, crucially, they must pay other dues, such as continue to provide accommodation until they seek alternative work. Employers are also obliged to register staff who they are laying off in the "virtual job market" to hep them secure a new job.

It is announced that drive through coronavirus test centres will be set up across the country, and Al Futtaim Health is offering the test at a cost of AED 370, the cost price, following a testing programme for its employees.

29th March 2020

102 new cases confirmed and one death, three deaths in total, total cases 570. Three new recoveries are announced, taking the total number of recoveries to 58.

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, opens the first drive-through Covid-19 test centre in the UAE.

A man is arrested for encouraging people to disregard the night-time traffic rules.

Regular reminders are being sent to mobile phones to remind them to stay indoors during the quarantine hours of 8pm-6am.

The rules on the use of medical masks are clarified.

28th March 2020 

62 new cases, and the Ministry of Interior continues to ask the public to stay home unless absolutely necessary, except for a series of exempted professions, telecoms, security, police, military, postal workers, shipments, airport, immigration, banks, government media, petrol station workers, health, education, logistics, medicines, water, food, civil aviation, passport, financial services, construction all qualify for exemptions.

Dubai police also warns people about practising sport outside and says people should do their exercise indoors instead and will now run until 5th April. Dubai Police report using radars to detect those who are violating the curfew.

The weekend long sterlisation programme which requires residents to stay in their homes between 8pm and 6am unless they apply for a permit has been extended.

Dubai Free Zones Council launches an economic stimulus package which includes postponement of rent payments for six months.

Several news outlets are reporting a raft of new fines to be issued to those who fail to comply with the measures designed to curb the spread of Covid-19. They're far from clear so I am waiting for a more official translation from Arabic before I write about them.

27th March 2020

72 new cases announced, across 26 different nationalities, total 405, three more recoveries, taking the total recovered to 55.



26th March 2020

The government announces a three night shutdown of public transport, for a nationwide street sterilisation campaign. Dubai residents who wish to leave their homes during the hours of 8pm to 6am over the weekend need to apply for a permit to do so.

The automatic renewal of work visas was also announced, with the usually mandatory medical examinations being waived during the coronavirus outbreak.

The UAE Ministry of Interior announced that 64 had been referred to prosecutors for failing to observe quarantine advice to stay at home for 14 days in accordance with medical instructions.

25th March 2020

The UAE confirms 85 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 333. Seven new recoveries were announced, taking the total of recoveries to 52. The Ministry of Health urges people to stay at home unless absolutely necessary, and said the new cases were aged between 20 and 45. New cases are split across 35 nationalities.

A third person was arrested for encouraging people to ignore government advice to stay home during the outbreak.

The Dubai government says 80 per cent of private sectors must must work from home, so it is now down to employers to make sure the right percentage of employees is away from the work place.

24th March 2020

Another 50 new cases are announced in the UAE, bringing the total to 248. Four new recoveries are announced. Once again, the cases are split across a range of different nationalities - 32 in total.

Details of the last flights in and out of Dubai International Airport emerge, before it closes to the travelling public for a minimum of two weeks. The last flight will be the arrival of the Sao Paulo flight tomorrow (Wednesday) evening.

The UK Embassy in the UAE is gathering information on UK travellers impacted by the suspension of flights. Anyone experiencing difficulties can contact uaeconsular.escalations@fco.gov.uk

Measures are to be put in place to allow visitors who cannot leave the UAE to stay legally, with mroe details to emerge in the coming day.

Dubai Police are patrolling with loud speaker drones and in cars telling residents to stay at home for their own safety.

A second person is arrested on charges relating to ignoring restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The UAE states that Covid-19 is included in its communicable disease law which means that patients and healthcare workers and authority figures including ship or aircraft captains are now bound by law to report cases or suspected cases of the disease.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention shows a sense of humour, posting this video about the importance of staying home to protect your family from the corona virus.

23rd March 2020

The government announces 45 new cases, taking the total in the UAE to 198, and makes a point of revealing that one person failed to observe his quarantine and went on to infect 17 others. The newly announced cases are from national of 23 different countries, mirroring the UAE's highly international community.

The Ministry of Health of Prevention also announced three more recoveries, bringing the total of those who have recovered from the disease in the UAE to 41.

In another twist on the commercial air travel confusion, it appears the UAE government has stepped in to ground all commercial flights, effective for two weeks on 25th March 2020. Emirates updates are here, Etihad updates here, Air Arabia here and flydubai here.

Cargo and emergency evacuation flights will still operate.

It appears that UAE is moving towards lockdown status as shopping malls are expected to be closed on the 25th March, with only shops selling essential items such as supermarkets and pharmacies to remain open. All residents are urged to stay in their homes unless 'absolutely necessary'.

More and more restrictions are being announced. Dubai announces that restaurants and cafes are to close for two weeks except for takeaways. Hotels and hotel apartment food outlets will now only be allowed to serve in-house guests.

The UK Foreign Office has not advised British citizens to leave the UAE, but states that flights may be suspended at short notice (thanks for that) and that anyone for whom it is essential that they are in the UK should try to get on a flight before they are suspended. Well, they're sold out. So where does that leave us? While neither me or Him Indoors are exactly jumping for joy that it's now considerably harder to get home, if not impossible, but we know however long this flight suspension is, it's not forever.

Sharjah police officers are using drones with loud speakers to tell people to stay at home.

The world's tallest building - the Burj Khalifa - also gets in on the act, telling people to stay home.

22nd March 2020

It is a truly bizarre day in commercial air travel.

Emirates, the world's largest long-haul airline, first announces that it will suspend 70 per cent of its flights. Then, at 6pm, announces that ALL of its passenger flights will be grounded due to Covid-19 until travel confidence starts to return to the market. Then, it rolls back on this at around 8pm, saying: "Having received requests from governments and customers to support the repatriation of travellers, Emirates will continue to operate passenger and cargo flights to the following countries and territories until further notice, as long as borders remain open, and there is demand: the UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Singapore, Australia, South Africa, South Korea, USA and Canada. The situation remains dynamic, and travellers can check flight status on Emirates.com

Emirates' Covid-19-related updates can be found here.

Residents are urged to stay in their own homes unless absolutely necessary. Those using private cars should limit the number of people in the car to three, according to a statement by the Ministry of Interior and the National Emergency and Crisis and Disasters Management.

A "European national" is arrested for violating a Dubai Police order to avoid public spaces and for mocking the precautionary measures taken by the health authorities to prevent the spread of the virus.

The world's richest horse race, the Dubai World Cup, is cancelled, with suggestions that it would be run without an audience now shelved. Landmark 25th anniversary celebrations are postponed until next year.

21st March 2020

In the early hours, the UAE announced its first two deaths attributed to coronavirus, a 78-year-old Arab citizen, and a 58-year-old Asian. As usual, this is qualified by the facts that the first died of a heart attack, the second had pre-existing conditions. These are not merely statistics, these were someone's life partner, father or mother, sister or brother, cousin, friend and that is worth remembering. I have seen articles emerging already that the economic cost of trying to stop this appalling illness is too great, that we should simply let it wash over us like a tidal wave, which when it recedes will take our elderly, vulnerable or sick with it. In our house, like most people, we are more than aware of the economic cost of it trying to stop Covid-19 in its tracks, we are feeling them ourselves, but we know that at least trying to stop it is the humane thing to do.

For my part, I lost my mother to a horrendous illness, Multiple Myeloma in 2014. If the coronavirus had happened then, and she had caught it, she would most likely have been very sick indeed, if not fatally so. If she had died of this illness, and someone had told me, "well, you must accept that, it's the cost of keeping our world economy growing," I would have punched them so hard in the face their nose would have popped out the back of their head. Before you say such things or share articles suggesting this, think of who is in your friends list and whether they may have lost a loved one, only for you to dismiss their loss as "someone who would have died anyway".

This entry is in memory of those we have already lost.

13 new cases announced today, taking the total in the UAE to 153. People are being advised to avoid shopping malls and restaurants and public transport.

The governments announces the "Tawajudi" service for residents who found themselves outside the country and unable to return when travel restrictions were put in in place. Information suggests that those residents may be able to apply to return.

A reduction of the distribution of newspapers is announced to help prevent the spread of the virus.

The closure of all beaches, parks, cinemas, sports centres and public and private swimming pools is announced once again, with restaurants and cafes told to operate at 20 per cent capacity, keeping customers two metres apart. 

Customers must also be kept 1.5 metres apart at Dubai shops. 

Banks announce support for both individuals and businesses impacted by coronavirus.

Dubai Media Office releases video to mark the start of the emirate's street disinfection campaign. Yes, the dramatic music is for real.

20th March 2020

More flights are suspended by Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad, with suspensions now in place to 22 countries.

Quarantine violators could face up to five years in jail and fines of up to AED100,000 according to Gulf News.

Gulf News publishes an article saying Dubai will sanitise 95 streets starting in the early hours of 21st March and continuing over 11 days, advising residents on affected streets to stay indoors.

Guidelines are issues for the disinfection of labour camp accommodation, which are home to thousands of construction and other workers around the emirate.

At present, only UAE citizens can enter the country. Even fellow GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) residents are temporarily able to enter, pending a coronavirus pre-examination mechanism being approved. UAE residents who are currently outside the country who wish to enter can call a dedicated hotline provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs +971 9 208 3344.

Gulf news reports that people are respecting Dubai's request for social distancing, publishing photos of empty roads.

News of more donations by wealth Emirati families emerges.

19th March 2020

27 new cases are announced in the UAE, bringing the number of officially announced cases to 140.

UAE suspends re-entry for those who have residency visas and are currently abroad from midday today (19th March).

Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Group announced a AED 100 million relief fund for retailers at its Festival malls in Dubai to help tenant businesses at risk due to coronavirus. The money will fund three-month rent relief for those affected.

Abu Dhabi announces the reopening of its public beaches after disinfecting and sterilising.

Emirati billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor donates 50 ambulance, a full building of 100 rooms for quarantining coronavirus patients and commits to building a research lab into epidemics and virus control in collaboration with Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Dubai's education authority the KHDA launches an online learning platform.

18th March 2020

To date: 113 cases in the UAE, no deaths. 

A speech by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, reassures nationals and residents that the UAE has acted early to stem the spread of Covid-19, and states that the country has more than adequate food and medical supplies to take care of both nationals and residents.

Dubai Media Office issues a statement from HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, calling upon Government of Dubai workers to do as much as possible to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and stay in their homes as much as possible.

The Attorney General announces that all passengers arriving into the UAE from abroad must undergo mandatory self quarantine for 14 days or face legal action.

All visas on arrival are now suspended as well as pre-approved visas.

The UAE issues a temporary ban on citizens travelling abroad.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation suspends all new work permits with these exception of those connected to Expo 2020 Dubai.

Returning citizens or residents can can expect to be tested on arrival and will be quarantined for 14 days.

Abu Dhabi Central Bank (ABCB) offers to defer loan payments for up to six months for customers impacted by the coronavirus.

17th March 2020

Shops in Majid Al Futtaim, (MAF) shopping malls, including the Mall of the Emirates, home to Dubai's indoor ski slope Ski Dubai, will open for reduced hours, from 12noon-8pm, with the exception of supermarkets and pharmacies.

16th March 2020

It is announced that visas on arrival have been suspended, but it is later clarified that many countries are exempt, including the UK, the USA, and number of European companies.

Flights to Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Italy, (except for Rome) China (Beijing exempt), Syria and Turkey are suspended.

Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce follows Abu Dhabi and closes all bars, pubs and lounges in the emirate. Residents and nationals are also asked to stop hosting house parties and wedding celebrations.

Indian announces mandatory 14 day quarantine for all passengers arriving into the country from all Gulf States except Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, effective 18th March.

UAE Nationals living or working abroad are advised to return home by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, governments around the world make similar announcements.

Public prayers are cancelled at all mosques and places of worship UAE-wide.

UAE Central Bank cuts interest rates again.

Abu Dhabi announces its own stimulus package.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention claims 125,000 people have been tested for Covid-19, or 13,000 per million of the population, the highest percentage of people tested in the world.

15th March 2020

Community swimming pools, gyms, theme parks, entertainment venues and cinemas are closed in Dubai, effective until the end of March.

Sharjah Museums Authority closes all museums until further notice.

14th March 2020

Abu Dhabi shuts public beaches and parks, effective from 15th March.

Etihad suspends flights to Milan and Rome.

13th March 2020

Oman announces a month-long closure of its land border with the UAE, effective 15th March, removing the option of the "visa run" for those wishing to extend their stay in the UAE.

The emirates of Sharjah and Ajman announce a crackdown on those hiking the prices of hand sanitiser. Fines of between AED 5,000 and AED 1

12th March 2020

Emirates suspends flights to Venice and reduces flights to Milan, announces thermal screening and nasal swabs for passengers arriving from high risk countries.

Dubai announces AED 1.5 billion stimulus package to reduce the cost of living and doing business.

ITP, the UAE's biggest magazine publisher, introduces a three-day working week for its staff.

10th March 2020

Dubai Sports Council announces the suspension of all sports clubs for Under 18s, including swimming lessons.

Etihad announces suspension of flights to Manila, Cairo, Nairobi and Geneva, effective 18th and 19th March.

9th March 2020

14 new cases announced, taking the total to 59.

8th March 2020 

Last day of schools before closures. Parents are advised that children who travel outside the UAE during the closure will need to be quarantined for a 14 days on their return before they will be able to come back to school.

The Ministry of Interior warns that anyone spreading rumours or fake information about Corona Virus in the UAE could face three years to life in prison and fines of up to AED 3 million.

4th March 2020

The announcement of closure of all schools and universities effective 8th March. The closure is planned to be four weeks in total - two weeks school holidays moved forward, followed by two weeks of home learning. Deep cleaning of schools is to take place during this time. The same day, it is announced that a 16-year-old Indian national living in Dubai has the Coronavirus. Gulf News later publishes a story saying UAE schools are "likely" to be closed for the entire summer term, but this is emphatically denied by the UAE government. 

UAE Central Bank cuts interest rates.

3rd March 2020

News of events being cancelled or postponed emerges. The Arabian Travel Market, Art Dubai, Taste of Dubai, Club Social 2020, Dubai International Boat Show are all cancelled or postponed. 

29th February 2020

The UAE Ministry of Education announces the closure of all nurseries, and that all school trips off school sites will be banned. After school clubs and activities in mainstream schools are also all cancelled. Number of confirmed cases 21.

3rd February 2020

Emirates and Etihad suspend all flights to China, except to Beijing, effective 5th February.   

29th January 2020 

News breaks of the first cases of Covid-19, then known simply as Coronavirus, in the Middle East, in Chinese nationals who had travelled as tourists from Wuhan to the UAE - four members of the same family.