A total of 473 coronavirus cases were detected in the UAE on Friday as an additional 47,000 tests for the infection were conducted across the country. The number of recoveries has risen to 43,969 after 399 patients overcame the virus, and two deaths were reported. The total number of active cases in the Emirates now stands at 9,751. On Thursday, that figure dipped to below 10,000 for the first time since April 30. Since the outbreak, 54,050 have tested positive for Covid-19 and 330 people have died. This week, the government announced it would carry out an additional two million PCR tests on residents over the next two months. Government and service sector workers will be the focus of the accelerated testing drive, which was launched to ensure people hadn't turned complacent with the recent ease of restrictions. Public transport workers, including taxi and bus drivers, would be among those targeted over the two-month period. The announcement was made just a day before the UAE welcomed tourists into the country for the first time since the borders were closed in March. In addition to a local testing drive, those arriving into the Emirates without documented proof of a PCR test carried out in their country of origin will be tested on arrival, free-of-charge. To date, the UAE has carried out more than 3.5 million swab testing to control the spread of Covid-19 across the country.
