The World Health Organisation on Friday warned the world had entered a “new and dangerous phase” of the coronavirus pandemic, with people tiring of lockdowns despite the disease’s accelerating spread.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pandemic was “accelerating” and urged nations and citizens to remain extremely vigilant, as the number of cases reported to the UN health agency hit a new peak.
Meanwhile, mosques in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Makkah are set to reopen on Sunday under strict safety measures, nearly three months after they were closed as the outbreak hit.
The UAE on Friday announced 393 new cases, with 755 recoveries and two deaths.
Globally, coronavirus cases passed 8.5 million on Friday, with 4.2 million recoveries and 457,000 deaths.