With reference to the report Coronavirus: Dubai Chamber allows staff to work from home (March 15): I am a single mother working in a semi-government company in the UAE. Since the coronavirus has caused schools to close I have had no option to leave my kids anywhere while I work. Camps too are closed and nannies in the UAE are overbooked. The company I work for has shown little flexibility for working remotely. I have no choice but to stay home with the kids in the morning or arrange days off with other parents. This means taking paid or unpaid leave and I don't have 30 days of leave left. I would request the government to pass a regulation that allows employees to work from home without having to take leave.
Name withheld on request, Dubai
Floods and deaths add to Egypt's burden
With reference to The National Editorial In Egypt, floods add to difficulty of fighting pandemic (March 15): while the entire world is focused on tackling the coronavirus, it was disheartening to read about the plight of an already embattled country to now also have to deal with the consequences of poor infrastructure. That the onslaught of rain killed people is a sobering reminder of the cost of development suffering. As if the existing conditions in Egypt were not challenging enough, with the Nile dam dispute far from resolved. The country didn't need this.
K Ragavan, Bengaluru, India
The generosity of nations in times of need
With reference to Coronavirus: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed expresses UAE's support to Iranian people (March 15): this just goes to show the maturity of the UAE and its spirit of community and Islamic values, all qualities nations should hold dear. I have respect for our leaders.
Louay Al-Samarrai, Dubai
That's what you expect from the leadership in this country. Let's hope everyone affected recovers soon.
Fred Cohan, Dubai
Anti-stockpiling measures will serve the population well
With reference to Sarwat Nasir's report Coronavirus: major UAE retailer places purchase limit on hand sanitisers (March 15): This is a good call. We need measures like this to avoid stockpiling. Shoppers at Lulu can buy only two hand sanitisers per customer.
Ruhi Bafrali, Atlanta, Georgia, US