Officials in the first line of defense to combat the spread of the Corona virus in Dubai confirmed that the volunteers presented a true epic in containing the epidemic in foci that contained the largest number of people afflicted with the emirate, particularly in the Ras and Nayef regions.
They said during a discussion organized by the Dubai Police, yesterday evening, that the volunteers were a link between the police and the residents of these two regions, which are characterized by containing multiple nationalities and different cultures, and they were able to reduce the tension in the beginning, especially with the spread of rumors, including that they will be injected with painful needles, Noting that many of these volunteers were vulnerable to HIV infection, and a number of them were already infected, but they insisted on participating in all important and decisive measures until the danger was completely contained in the two regions, in an experiment that will be studied later.
In detail, Member of the Federal National Council, General Director of Wataniya Emirates Foundation, Dherar Belhoul Al Falasi, said during the seminar moderated by the Director of the Office of Institutional Development for the Operations Sector, Lt. Col. Abdullah Jassim Al Zarouni, under the title "Crisis Management Opportunities and Challenges" that the volunteers provided a unique national role during Fighting the Corona virus since its spread began, pointing out that the number of volunteers registered in the application "A Day for Dubai" since the announcement of the initiative "Your city is calling you - volunteering for Dubai" has reached about 13 thousand volunteers, working together with the work teams deployed in various regions to address the virus " Covid-19 ».
He added that these teams included volunteers from more than 40 nationalities, who worked with dedication and sincerity that cannot be described, reflecting the extent of their attachment to this homeland to the point that one of them is a 60-year-old European engineer working in Sharjah airport, who insisted daily on coming to work areas with his wife after His formal end, despite trying to dissuade him from doing so, but he was determined to participate.
He pointed out that everyone had a desire to participate, but there was an urgent need in the beginning for people who speak different languages, to help in communicating with members of society, especially residents of the regions of Naif and Al-Ras, pointing out that there was tension in the beginning from some of the residents in these areas And the volunteers succeeded in convincing the people that the police were not their enemy, and the situation turned to the opposite, and there was full cooperation.
Al-Falasi added that Watani Foundation established a voluntary base specialized in all fields, stressing that this base is ready to participate in organizing the "Expo" exhibition if its activities start tomorrow, if they undergo training courses, through a professional methodology to deal with crises and major events.
He explained that the volunteering experience adopted by Dubai since the outbreak of the pandemic is a role model, as it turned into a systematic work that appeared in the best way during the past period, and the volunteers participated in carrying out major tasks after being subjected to health tests and ensuring their safety, such as preparing the field hospital, and distributing meals and food. Aid to workers and other groups in need of support.
For his part, General Abdullah Al Ghaithi, Director of the General Authority for Security of Bodies, Installations and Emergencies, said that Dubai Police worked internally and externally according to a comprehensive pre-emptive plan, so there was keenness from the beginning by the Commander in Chief of Dubai Police, Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, on the need to work quickly with all Local departments to ensure effective control and prevention measures are implemented.
He added, "We are on the front lines of defense, and we faced great challenges from the beginning in light of the recent crisis, especially in the regions of Naif and Al-Ras, where the virus has spread in these two regions more than others, due to their nature in terms of high population density of different nationalities, and crowding them with visitors throughout the day." , Pointing out that there was a problem that initially occurred in communicating with the residents of these two regions, as time is short and there is a need to expand sterilization operations, and people were feeling fear and tension.
He pointed out that the volunteers succeeded in containing the tension, as they were gradually able to educate the population about the importance of sterilization and rapid cooperation with medical and security teams, which helped close the area in record time and move in the field smoothly, and within one month a large number of residents were examined, isolating the injured and transporting contacts To quarantine, in a wonderful symphony you will study in the future.
He explained that the Supreme Committee for Crisis and Disaster Management undertook the assessment of the experience and the study of its results, stressing that “this crisis is a lesson that we have learned from, but what we can be certain is that we have dealt with it flexibly, and our concepts have changed thanks to the tight plan adopted by the state in general, and Dubai in particular, and the efforts of these volunteers who changed The strategy of controlling the injured and forcing them to examine, to joint cooperation, after convincing them that the police are there to help them.
Al-Ghaithi revealed that despite taking all measures to protect them, a number of them were infected with the virus, and despite that, they did not stop providing aid after they recovered, indicating that they are currently participating in identifying the people affected by the crisis to help them and provide them with their basic needs.
For his part, said the media at Dubai Media Foundation, Rashid Omar Al-Kharji, that volunteers of all nationalities have demonstrated great love for this country, so the media was keen to assign the role to them.
He added that the Corona pandemic demonstrated the importance of the sober traditional media from television stations and newspapers, because it was a source of documented and correct information, unlike social networks that were platforms for promoting rumors and lies to the extent that the Twitter platform initiated an audit of the content related to the Corona virus due to a flood of misleading information. And other platforms, such as Facebook, have followed its path.
The Corona pandemic demonstrated the UAE’s ability to face challenges.
Aisha Miran, Assistant Secretary General for Strategic Management and Governance Sector in the General Secretariat of the Executive Council in Dubai, said that the whole world suffers due to the Corona virus, noting that there are many lessons learned from this crisis that not only affect the health sector, but also rocked the world economically and socially.
She added, "The UAE has proven its ability to face challenges. Within one month, remote work was applied, and there is no doubt that the situation requires us to rearrange our accounts during and after (SK)."
She pointed out that «the achievements of the past and the government's eagerness to obtain governmental authorities in obtaining the ISO certificate in business continuity helped in the face of this crisis, when the conditions required remote work, our adaptation without previous scenarios or experiences.
She explained that there were measures taken to gradually return to economic activities, and launched several initiatives to support the economy, and there are other packages under study, noting cooperation between the public and private sectors, especially in the health aspect.
AI control
Dubai Police relied on its advanced digital architecture for control work, so it used artificial intelligence to monitor the Naif area and the use of Drones to talk to the residents and reassure them, as well as for the residents of Dubai Police, General Abdullah Al Ghaithi Relying on the advanced eyes system for monitoring, follow-up and analysis, in addition to radar devices that are managed with smart systems to control violators restricting movement during sterilization operations.