UAE residents are embracing the new, post-Covid normal, fully confident about the way the government is handling the pandemic.

The Ministry of Community Development on Tuesday said about 95 per cent respondents to a survey said they were happy with the government’s efforts to restore normalcy. Back in April 2020, only 25 per cent residents had a sense of safety.

In general, optimism levels are high, with 94 per cent respondents hopeful about the future. This is significantly higher than April 2020’s optimism level of 34 per cent.

About 90 per cent said they supported the gradual return of people to mosques and places of worship. About 79 per cent backed the government’s move to restore 100 per cent capacity at offices; and 79 per cent are okay with children returning to schools.

These stats came as the ministry revealed the initial results of the survey that aims to gauge public confidence in the government’s efforts to restore normalcy.

“People’s spirits are high about surpassing the impacts of this pandemic. Our national indicators are improving daily,” said Nasser Al Zaabi, official spokesperson for the ministry.

He was referring to daily Covid cases dipping in to a year low and hovering around the 600 mark for the last few days. Additionally, the UAE is the most vaccinated country on Earth, with over 19 million vaccine doses administered with a distribution rate of 192.08 doses per 100 people. Over 90 per cent of residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine, while close to 80 per cent are fully vaccinated.

How UAE has recovered from pandemic effects

The UAE is one of the first countries to recover from the pandemic, Al Zaabi added.

Events are running at a 95 per cent capacity of the targeted 100 per cent. “Religious activities are back at 100 per cent in different places of worship.”

He stressed that residents needed to continue observing all Covid safety measures.

sahim@khaleejtimes.com

Sahim Salim