UAE - Stepping into 2021

Today at MBT, we'll be taking a walk through the previous months in time. Taken the world by storm, the novel corona virus has completely altered our lives. In the beginning, we didn't even have too many hopes of turning back to normal. But today, as we head towards its probable end, along with the rise of the second wave, let's go through how the virus spread; how it impacts our today, and what we can expect in the coming year.

 

The Chaos Begins

December 2020; a viral disease starts spreading in a single city. From there onwards, it starts spreading to other areas nearby. Near the end of February 2020, people from other countries start getting infected. Many countries begin reporting new cases every passing day. Before we could stop and think for a moment, a global pandemic takes over the world. Choas everywhere. There seems to be no escape. We have no cure. We have no vaccination procudures. We don't even know how exactly how the virus works right now. All we know is, that it spreads too fast and can be fatal.

Nobody knows what to expect, and what to do. Every country tries their best to contain the virus, and limit its spread. But due to the current circumstances, we don't know what will work. Every attempt, every strategy, every aim, is a shot in the dark. Will it be a hit or a miss? Only time will tell. But right now, people are getting severely ill, and many are dying. Everyone is afraid. 

 

The Virus Reaches the Emirates

The Emirates in particular, immediately acts upon the required safety and security protocols. Santizers are placed at all public places like Hotels, Religious places, and Businesses. Temperature scanners are used at entrances of all such organisations. Schools have been closed. All educational work is being shifted to e-learning. Businesses are motivated to direct their work-flow online, as much as possible. 

The public has been advised to follow all directed SOPs, and all the expense of testing and cures is taken care of by the government of the UAE. The least that we can do, is follow WHO's guidelines and SOP(Standard Operating Procedure)s.

We now live by the following protocols:

- Washing hands with soap and water

- Sanitizing hands during the inavailability of water

- Wearing face masks in public places

- Avoiding handshakes and other physical contact

- Avoiding touching our faces

Many extra precautionary measures are taken as well. Businesses and community centres, install disinfectionary entrances. People use disinfectants on household objects, at home. Every single step in taken, to ensure the safety of our own selves, and others. 

 

UAE for the Win!

July 2020; It was a tough and long-lasting struggle, against an enemy we know less about. But we were ready. The UAE through it's well thought out plans, contains the spread of the viral disease. The problem still exists, but we have everything under control. We've managed to keep the number of cases at one of the lowest counts, globally. 

With over 9.7 Million residents, so far we only have about 300+ cases. We have won the first half of the battle. We resume economic activities, and slowly start moving towards normalization. We host a big AI Event in Dubai. We celebrate our victory over the seemingly unknown. The Emirates with its wise policies and practical implementation, stay ahead of the curve during these trying times.

Many countries have been working in coordination with the medical industry, to produce an effective vaccine. So far, we've seen many claims of people being close to achieving perfection. None so far, had been completely successful. Clinical trials, however are have begun. Many of us have even volunteered, and the UAE is looking forward to a successful vaccine quite soon.

 

Fear of Second Wave?

MBT offers its deepest condolences to the people who lost their ones, and prayers for the early recovery of all undergoing treatment or under isolation. It's been some time since the bigger challenge has passed us. However, it was rumored and predicted, that there will be a second wave. Not just in the UAE, but globally. Today we see the number of cases rising once again. There's a slow rise in our country as well. However due to proper planning, we have all the necessary measures in place to tackle the issue once again. We the emiratis, have risen over this pandemic once, and we can do it again. All we have to do, is to follow the directives of the government and WHO. We can do this.

Our own Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has also recently taken part in the clinical trials of the Covid-19 vaccinations (along with other government officials).

This has made us hopeful, that of the swift availability of the perfected vaccines for the general public as well. Just yesterday, Pharma giant Pfizer has also claimed, that their vaccines have shown 90% effectiveness.

 

A Brighter Future Ahead

This means that we're headed in the right direction. Entrepreneur, Philanthropist and Industry leader Bill Gates, has also given us hope of a brighter future. According to him these vaccines will serve two purposes. The first of course will be to be a preventive measure against the corona virus.

But also secondly, there will be a new form of vaccines. According to him, this will speed up the development of RNA vaccines. This is another positive outlook for us, as RNA vaccines are safer, easier to produce, as compared to traditional vaccines. He also suggests that this could potentially help us in creating vaccines for other diseases like Malaria, TB and HIV.

Once we have the vaccines readily available on a global scale, things will normalize even faster. In the Emirates and beyond, there's a new found hope. We're so much closer to finally being able to live freely, without the fear of infections. 

 

What will 2021 Be Like?

The world has been through a lot. Over the past few months we've felt lost, entrapped, and exhausted, over the seemingly never ending battle. But as we head towards the new year, we can expect a fresh breeze of air. Of course it won't be an instant patch-up, as the year begins. Relaxation of the final resolve however, will add a bit more calmness to our lives. The second wave will still be a challenge. We'll probably have to keep following precautionary measures. But with new developments, we'll have more surety of being rid of this virus much sooner. 

What should be look forward to in the coming year though?

Well, for starters:

• The perfected COVID-19 Vaccinations would either have started already, or would start within the year

• Many Industries are projected to properly get back on track, and employments are expected to increase

• International flights and regulations will start getting back on track

• Educational procedures will be normalized

• We'll probably start work on vaccines for HIV, Malaria, and TB, based on the COVID vaccines

• If (God forbid) we have to face a challenge like this again, we'll be more ready than ever before

• Rulings on mass gatherings will be further eased

 

Are You Ready For The Celebration?

We're expecting many great things in the future. 2021 also marks the Golden Jubilee of the United Arab Emirates. What a wonderful time to be alive! This is the year that we accomplish Vision 2021, which is a government plan to make UAE one of the best countries in the world as it hits 50 complete years. The government is pumped and ready for more development and innovations. We're also heading for a 3.1% economical growth, despite all setbacks. 

So this year we can also look forward to:

• Expo 2020

• The Mars Mission

• Technological Advancements in many areas

• Digitalization of the country

• Tourism Boost

Expectedly, there will be many events, with mass gatherings in the Emirates, celebrating and promoting our Golden Jubilee. We will have millions of foreigners visit again. There will be a vast increase in tourism. We'll develop and work heavily towards innovations, like AI and Blockchain. We'll be sending the Arab World's first ever umanned spacecraft to Mars; to study it's climate and measure its suitability of for sustainable life. A lot of exciting and amazing things are expected to take place the next year. We at MBT, are hooked!

But till then, our fellow Emiratis, remain calm, keep following SOPs, and stay safe. Just a little more effort, and then we go big again.

Yallah!