Covid-19 testing booths in malls in Dubai are proving popular with residents, with appointments now required because of the high demand.
Dubai Health Authority this week set up PCR testing sites in three Majid Al Futtaim malls – Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Deira and Mirdif City Centre.
More than 150 people showed up for walk-in screenings on the first day the centre at Mall of the Emirates opened. Owing to the unexpectedly high demand, appointments were made mandatory shortly after.
This is the first time testing has been made available in malls. Usual locations previously included drive-through screening facilities and hospitals.
For Dh150, citizens, residents and tourists can undergo a nasal swab test from certified staff and receive results within 24 hours.
The National visited the testing booth in Mall of the Emirates on Wednesday.
A single micro-clinic can be found near one of the entrances of the mall, where people with an appointment can wait in a physically distanced queue.
Anto Antony, 31, a sales executive who works in the mall, made an appointment through the DHA mobile app and took the test during his lunch break.
“Taking a test here is very helpful because I don’t have to go anywhere far and I can take it here during my break,” he said.
“I’m travelling this weekend to India and this has made things really convenient for me.”
The test is free for people aged 50 and above, those with chronic illnesses, Emiratis and GCC nationals, people with disabilities and anyone with an Emirati mother.
Those who have symptoms of Covid-19, including a fever or a cough, are advised not to get tested at the mall to avoid potentially exposing others to the virus.
Testing at the mall is recommended for people who wish to travel or need to be screened for another non-medical purpose.
Alice Juma, also in sales, got tested on Wednesday so she could travel.
“Malls are popular here. There’s everything – banks, shops, supermarket and now you can even get a Covid-19 test,” said Ms Juma, 39, from Kenya.
“Malls are kind of like a lifestyle for a lot of people here and it is a convenient location for many to get it done, because it is close by and you get to do your shopping after or before.”
The stations were introduced as part of nationwide efforts to increase testing across the country and contain the spread of the virus.
Bookings for a Covid-19 PCR test appointment can be made via the DHA smart phone app or by calling 800342.
More information is available on the DHA website.
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The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
SPECS
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MATCH INFO
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The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
