Coronavirus: UAE reports 923 Covid-19 cases, 895 recoveries, no deaths

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Monday reported 923 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 895 recoveries and no deaths.

China’s Hainan, an island province dependent on tourism, locked down more areas on Monday, Reuters calculations based on state media reports show, as it battles its worst Covid-19 outbreak after seeing very few cases over the past two years.

The island in the South China Sea, which recorded just two local symptomatic Covid cases last year, has reported more than 1,400 domestically transmitted infections this month, including 982 symptomatic ones. While that is small by global standards, it is the province’s biggest outbreak since the virus was first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.

The spike in cases comes amid a pick up in interest in tourism after China eased curbs aimed at domestic travel, accounting for the shorter incubation period of the Omicron variant that facilitates a shorter quarantine time.

However, the curbs in Hainan, in line with China’s “dynamic Covid-zero” policy that aims to stamp out outbreaks as soon as possible, points to the persistent uncertainty shrouding travel and may further dampen confidence in the tourism and hospitality sectors that are particularly vulnerable to Covid restrictions.

One city and two towns entered lockdown in Hainan on Monday, according to Reuters calculations based on state media reports.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong will reduce the length of mandatory hotel quarantine for overseas arrivals to three days from a week, the city’s leader said Monday.

The southern Chinese city remains one of the few places in the world to require a quarantine to guard against travellers spreading Covid-19 to the local population. The policy taking effect Friday will be Hong Kong’s shortest quarantine for arrivals since the pandemic began.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said arriving travellers must quarantine three days in a designated hotel, then undergo four days of medical surveillance during which their movements will be restricted via the use of a health code system.

The changes to Covid-19 policies come amid an increase in infections, which city health officials warn could hit 8,000 in the coming weeks.

During their week of quarantine and surveillance, travellers will also have to test regularly for Covid-19 and those who are infected must stay in isolation.

Those who test negative can use public transit and enter malls and markets, but they can’t enter bars and amusement parks or visit elderly homes, schools and certain medical facilities.