United Arab Emirates issues jail, fine warning over not reporting COVID-19 infection

Senior UAE officials receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Clockwise from right: Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; and Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior (Twitter)

ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has warned that anyone who fails to report that he or she is infected with the COVID-19 will be sent to jail and or ordered to pay a fine.

The fine will be between $2,722 and $13,600, the UAE public prosecution said in its warning.

It is mandatory for a person infected with COVID-19 to visit the Ministry of Health and Prevention or other health institutions to receive medical treatment or receive the appropriate advice in such cases, the prosecution said.

The visit to a health institution enables the relevant authorities to mitigate the spread of the infection, it added.

It also helps boost the level of awareness of the risks of infection and the ways of transmitting the infection.

The infected person must also adhere to the preventive measures, implement prescriptions and comply uncompromisingly with the instructions given to him/her to prevent the transmission of infection to others, the prosecution said.