UAE reports 696 new Covid-19 cases after 430,359 tests

The number of active cases has dropped by 30 per cent in three weeks

Cinemas in the UAE can now operate at 100 per cent capacity at screenings. Lee Hoagland / The National

Shopping centres can run at maximum capacity. Restrictions were already minimal in many of the emirates. Reem Mohammed / The National

One of the most significant changes is allowing mosques to increase capacity. Restrictions had meant more worshippers were spilling out on to the streets. Antonie Robertson / The National

One-metre social distancing should still be maintained, authorities said. Antonie Robertson / The National

Sports stadiums can now return to maximum capacity but fans must take a PCR test and show a negative result using the Al Hosn app. AP Photo

The UAE reported 696 new Covid-19 cases on Friday after a further 430,359 tests were carried out.

The new cases bring the total number of infections recorded in the country since the pandemic began early in 2020 to 878,102.

One person died during the 24-hour reporting period, raising the death toll to 2,300.

Another 1,916 people beat the virus, as the recovery total climbed to 828,983.

Active cases have dropped to 48,080, down from 70,743 on February 6, thanks to the continued trend of recoveries exceeding new infections.

Bloomberg revealed on Thursday that the UAE remains top of its Covid-19 global resilience ranking, ahead of Ireland and Saudi Arabia.

It said the Emirates scored highest among the 53 of the world’s biggest economies that it tracks monthly.

The UAE has been a consistently high-performing country, thanks to an organised and thorough vaccination drive and stringent precautionary measures.

More than 136 million tests have been conducted across the Emirates under a comprehensive screening strategy.

The UAE has also been lifting rules as the country cautiously emerges from the pandemic.

Capacity limits at cinemas, shopping centres and other entertainment spots and venues across the UAE, for example, are allowed to return to full capacity for the first time in 18 months.

However, people must still wear a mask in all indoor and outdoor public places nationwide.