Re: Lockdown
 

Good news. Good luck.

Re: Lockdown
 

[QUOTE=DXBtoDOH;12855645. We can also look to the Americans, who have practised a much looser form of social distancing than required in the UK, and their hospitals remained greatly underwhelmed. Even in New York City the hospitals never became overloaded. That suggests a great deal of existing capacity to handle hospitalisation.[/QUOTE]

erm no, the hospital ship docked in NYC was never used as they didn’t take COVID patients and the protocol to admit patients was very cumbersome. NYC hospital capacity was saved through a) deferring a lot of nonCovid treatments b) people not being out and thus not having accidents c) kicking out old people from hospitals back to care homes. Even then ER capacity was massively strained, capacity for elective surgery (nose jobs to more urgent treatments like cancer surgeries) however was very much available in terms of beds, maybe just not medics, and the risk of massive complications if the patients contracted covid in hospital outweighed the risks associated with waiting.

The weakness of the US health system is that with high deductibles and the need to pay cash upfront people don’t seek treatment and testing and run around spreading it further as they need a pay check and don’t get sick leave.

Re: Lockdown
 

Domestic travel permitted from Sunday, new curfew hours 8pm till 6 am. Everywhere except Mecca.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1680101/saudi-arabia

Hopefully international flights can open up by Haj.

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https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...06180fcfa6.jpg
Still no confirmation on international flights though.

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I just finished our weekly office call. Conclusion is that we will go back when we feel ready and not be driven by external influence. Sounds like people want to spend 2 months in their holiday homes.

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Similar call yesterday. CEO pushing for office to get back to normal. Management team saying - **** that, we'll go back when we don't have to wear masks and gloves at our desk.

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I laughed. I admit I'm one of those people looking forward to my holiday...erm....working from home in a location that just happens not to be my primary residence.

Re: Lockdown
 

Any luck yet getting a visa and date? I'm hearing that one's company has to submit a list of names to the main sponsor (QP etc), which then goes to MOI for final approval. You can bet there are a lot of requests going in, but I can't see this route being any more than a trickle until infection rates come down.

Re: Lockdown
 

There might be activity soon, maybe?

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No movement in or out of Abu Dhabi Emirate for a week starting tomorrow, just as flights for returning residents begin.

Re: Lockdown
 

This Abu Dhabi news is very interesting.

If it was because situation was bad in one or more areas of Abu Dhabi you would have seen longer "sterilization" hours or areas being shut down, but which has not happened from what I hear

My hunch is it is because Dubai and Abu Dhabi have different opinions on how fast to open up

Since Dubai actually locked down in April, they feel safer to open up earlier, while AUH may want to take it more steady. I wouldn't be surprised if Dubai is more receptive to its residents returning earlier as well

Another unlikely, more cynical view is too many Abu Dhabi residents were going to Dubai and the northern places for staycations and spending revenue there. Wouldn't be the first time Abu Dhabi residents have been directed to spend money in their own city instead of in Dubai (think of 2013 and the residency rule)

Re: Lockdown
 

Friends stuck in the UK have said that if you fly into DXB you have to self-isolate for 14 days, potentially in a hotel room. If you fly into Abu Dhabi, you don't.

Apparently.

Re: Lockdown
 

I believe that it’s mandatory hotel in Dubai, in Abu Dhabi you can isolate at home.

Re: Lockdown
 

Yes, I think that's right too. They were thinking of flying into AD and isolating at home in Dubai, but if you can't travel between the Emirates, I'm assuming that won't work.

Re: Lockdown
 

My theory is that Abu Dhabi is trying, through mass testing (e.g. in Musaffah and now in high-rise buildings downtown), to set a "baseline" of people who are known to be virus free so that businesses can re-open properly. It may have found that previously tested virus-free groups of people kept getting infected via visits from or to Dubai (or Sharjah etc) so it's trying to stop that for a bit to see if that effectively stops spread. If it does, then it's an indication that the local authorities have a good handle on who is infected and who isn't within this specific emirate.

Re: Lockdown
 

If you take it at face value 100% then your theory is correct. But, as with so many things, if there is stuff before the scenes, then other possibilities are there

Maybe, since Abu Dhabi did not lock down, any hint or claim by Dubai health officials in recent weeks that new cases in Dubai were mostly linked to Abu Dhabi may have ruffled some feathers, and led to this form of posturing.

Of course if it is for a week or 2, then it wont make a big difference , but if it is longer, consider it from Dubai's perspective
There are no Saudi, GCC or Chinese tourists. The only people spending in the hotels and malls and restaurants there are UAE Residents, and I somehow think during the recent Eid Holidays, Abu Dhabi residents accounted for a large number of people spending at staycations and other places, and definitely more than Sharjah residents in amount spent, even if numbers may be higher from Sharjah

Re: Lockdown
 

Interesting. This would make sense if it was just movement between emirates. But this latest development also forbids movement within Abu Dhabi emirate, so I'm not sure that it would be the result of an inter-emirate argument. Unless they're playing 3D chess, of course.

Which I doubt.

Re: Lockdown
 

The biggest shitter is that my delivery of sausage rolls, fresh of the plane in Dubai, has been delayed until Thursday so they can get a permit to transfer this essential item.

Re: Lockdown
 

the same rules for Bengali and Nepali indentured labourers ? My 17 years in the region tell me that it is different for them and all the others on indentures. It is easy to forget that Westerners have a privileged position in the region.

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God Bless America. They have given us our new news item, although it wasn't the elections as I predicted.

Now it's out of the news, hopefully we can stop this constant mass testing of people to check if they are carrying a very unfatal virus and get on with life.

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The British Butcher AKA Mike Barker at Geant in Mudon does freshly made ones and the frozen Greggs ones

Re: Lockdown
 

On a call now, we're caving in and agreeing to go in sporadically but the focus was management in small groups once a week for a few hours, catch up and then lunch. Lovely.

His new(ish) shop in Geant in Downtown is dangerously close. The two pack of Greggs Sausage Rolls are superb, some of the fresh meats are superb and good value, some stuff is quite expensive. The service though, is always superb. Great recommendation

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I'll find out tomorrow, but we are standing strong. With the windows now smashed in on the US office, they will find another excuse to not open up - we won't open until they do as we want our summer vacay.

Re: Lockdown
 

Sounds good, but he's presumably equally affected by the Abu Dhabi cordon sanitaire.

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Currently going in every other day. Told today back to normal schedule on the 21st when the curfew is lifted.

I've really enjoyed it on the whole. Had so much time to myself. Been really relaxing.

Re: Lockdown
 

Any news?
We're working on the basis of a morning in, meeting, then lunching together. I'm excited by the latter but also think it's hard to justify when we're saying we don't want to go in an office.
Anyway, we'll see. HR lead yesterday said to me that the new ideal will be genuine hot-desking, working from anywhere you like sort of mentality. Office for meetings and socials. Imagine working from the UK for a few weeks in the summer, would be glorious.

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total panic and refusal to go to the office. Travel to any other emirate also requires approval from someone out of the country.

Re: Lockdown
 

Classic. :rofl:

We're moving next weekend and the new place will be even easier to work from home so I'm holding out as well.

The missus has been told to go in but joined a call and there were 5 people round a table on the same call with no mask or gloves in a small room. She just laughed at the request to be in and joining those sorts of things.

Re: Lockdown
 

Qatar Airways are ramping flights back up. The lockdown's being eased in-country. Positive noises out of MoPH yesterday. Just got my contract extended despite being stuck on the outside.

Barring a new surge in virus cases - unlikely, given it's now been and gone through the work camps - I reckon it's being set up for an end-of-month border opening. 7 hours sat on QF in full PPE served hermetically-sealed Skytrax 5-star cuisine by a Slovenian hottie in a hazmat suite, and compulsory 14 day quarantine on arrival.

Re: Lockdown
 

The cabin crew donning PPE is actually overkill

Firslty, unless they wear it just before getting into the plane and take it off just before getting out, it defeats the purpose to some extent

Secondly if all passengers and crew are wearing masks, what are the odds a crew member will get infected from their clothes ?

And lastly, since passengers are not wearing PPE, the message I get is "this is a very dangerous environment, which is why we are wearing PPE", hardly something to calm one's nerves

Re: Lockdown
 

QF cabin crew were in masks and gloves when I last flew them mid-March. They're upping that as services start up again. This is from a press release on their website now:

"The airline has further enhanced its onboard safety measures for passengers and cabin crew. The airline is implementing several changes, including the introduction of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suits for cabin crew while onboard, as well as a modified service that reduces interactions between the passengers and the crew inflight. Cabin crew have already been wearing PPE during flights for a number of weeks, including gloves and face masks. Passengers will also be required to wear face coverings inflight, with the carrier recommending travellers bring their own for fit and comfort purposes."

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The following posted on Peninsula Qatar website

https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/articl...in-four-phases

Suggests another couple of months.

Re: Lockdown
 

:thumbs_up:

Confirmed at the press conference last night that it will be 1st August for priority pax (Phase 3), including returning residents, as you say. Presumably some business visas will be in that group as well. Got our guy on the case now on that, will let you know if he has any success. 1st September for the rest of international arrivals (Phase 4), as per your link.

Discover Qatar (owned by Qatar Airways) are the sole agent for booking of quarantine hotels and have a list. Prices from US$40 a night including transport from airport and all meals. Have to present hotel booking voucher for 14 nights at flight check-in as a condition to board.

Interesting that the presentation slides said that there will be a minimum 14 days between phases, so there's a bit of wriggle room to hurry things up if the numbers allow it. That said, a mate of mine with connections to QF has booked for August 1st, so those dates are probably pretty solid.

Re: Lockdown
 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...for-government

I guess this was inevitable, and somewhat known but ouch!
Cost reductions of 30% are going to mean a mix of wage cuts and layoffs for sure
Maybe it will see rents falling further.

Re: Lockdown
 

There were job cuts for some expats, and a 25% package cut for the rest, announced mid-May at the place I deal with. That fits in with the 30% cost reduction in the article. It will be interesting to see if it's a case of the press finally getting hold of that news, or whether there is another purge and haircut in the offing.

Re: Lockdown
 

I honestly believe you could take 30% of the staff out of Government agencies in Qatar and it would actually improve the service. Even more so if selective in the nationalities that were repatriated first...

Re: Lockdown
 

Looks like there was a mass approval yesterday for stranded residents to return to UAE.

Re: Lockdown
 

I wonder how many of the stranded residents are in that position because of previous poor judgement in leaving the country in the middle of a global pandemic? Because I don't have great hopes that this portion of the population is going to apply great judgement in keeping to quarantine once they get back in.

Re: Lockdown
 

Generally you're 100% correct. Friends of ours are stuck though as both had unwell parents. One made it in time to enjoy the last few weeks of her Dad and the other has been pretty much full time carer for his Mum. Both are stuck and can't get back. I know I'd have done the same in that situation but I also know work colleagues who went on holiday and got stuck. A jolly to Sri Lanka in mid-March when the company asked you not to travel was not just stupid, it was irresponsible. Unpaid leave is completely fair but doesn't make it easy to isolate for 14 days when you return and are desperate to earn again.

Re: Lockdown
 

the ankle tag and signed declaration should manage that.