Coronavirus: UAE announces 528 new cases

Officials said a further 465 patients had recovered from the virus

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  Palestinian women walk next to a graffiti painted by artists amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, in Gaza City. EPA

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  Iraqis gather at a coffee shop in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq. AFP

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  Iraqi security forces are deployed to enforce an extended curfew amid the pandemic, in Baghdad. AFP

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  Men walk by covered stalls in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AFP

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  Palestinian families enjoy their time at the beach amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in Gaza City. EPA

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  Medical staff and patients listen to Ghada Harb, the leader of the Syrian Ghardenia female choir, and the singers of her group as they perform outside of the Children's Hospital in Damascus, Syria, as part of the official 'The culture at your house' initiative aimed at thanking medics and nurses for their efforts in these times of crisis. EPA

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  Ghada Harb, the leader of the Syrian Ghardenia female choir, and the singers of her group perform outside of the Children's Hospital in Damascus, Syria. EPA

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  A woman and her child are sprayed with disinfectant as they enter a nursery after the government eased the coronavirus restrictions in Amman, Jordan. Reuters

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  A teacher wearing a protective suit interacts with a child at a nursery after the government eased the coronavirus restrictions in Amman, Jordan. Reuters

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  A woman buys vegetables from a cafe transformed into a fruit and vegetable shop in Cairo, Egypt. Reuters

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  Egyptians wearing protective face masks stand outside a post office in Cairo, Egypt. EPA

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  Students wearing face masks sit at a classroom at the Tunis Al-Manar university complex in Tunis, Tunisia, after authorities eased measures put in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus pandemic. EPA

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  Tunisian player Naim Selliti attends a training session at the Elmanzeh stadium in Tunis, Tunisia. Tunisian national football team resumed training on Monday. EPA

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  A Tunisian public health worker disinfects El Menzah Olympic Stadium in Tunis. EPA

The UAE announced 528 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, taking the country's total number to 39,904.

Officials said 37,000 additional tests had been carried out across the country, with more than 2.5 million conducted in the Emirates since the start of the outbreak.

Figures from the Ministry of Health and Prevention also revealed 465 patients had recovered from the pathogen since Monday while two had died.

The numbers bring the UAE's total to 22,740 recoveries and 283 deaths since the first cases of the virus were announced in late January.

Globally, there have now been more than 7.2m cases of coronavirus with more than 3.5m making full recoveries. More than 409,000 people have died.

The UAE has recently begun easing restrictions to allow businesses across the country to resume more regular operations.

In Dubai, some staff have been allowed to return to their workplaces, while cinemas, gyms and entertainment centres including ice rinks have also reopened.

Earlier on Tuesday, schools in the UAE said thousands of parents in the country would continue to have to pay for their schoolchildren's exams despite pupils not being able to sit the tests due to coronavirus.

School operators said they had no choice but to pass on the fees, which can total more than Dh2,000, as exam boards were refusing to waive their charges.

Pupils throughout the country have been taught at home since March when the government was forced to close schools to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Summer term exams were also cancelled, with pupils instead assessed by their overall performance during the year.

“I find it unfortunate that most UK exam boards have chosen to charge parents full fees for the cancelled GCSE and A-Level exams,” said Brendon Fulton, school principal of the Dubai British School, part of the schools operator Taaleem.

“I would have hoped the exam boards would do as we as an organisation did and provide parents with some deserved respite from costs during this period.”