The COVID-19 virus began to spread in Wuhan, causing a respiratory epidemic. Initially, scientists epidemiologically connected the majority of the cases to seafood and cattle markets. The virus was then passed from person to person by contaminated droplets (coughing or sneezing) or contaminated hands from a virus-infected individual. The COVID-19 epidemic has had a significant economic and social impact on the world.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was heavily impacted by the pandemic in the first quarter of 2020, with the most confirmed cases compared to neighboring Arabian Gulf States, however, Saudi Arabia had the most verified death cases. As a result of the virus’s rapid spread, several important industries have been affected.
Due to the scarcity of research on the influence of COVID-19 on various sectors, this article focuses on the aviation, real estate, tourist, and educational sectors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The number of confirmed and fatal cases reported by the UAE government at the start of the pandemic as a result of preventative measures will be discussed in this article. A case study of a densely populated area in Dubai with people of various ethnicities is extensively investigated, and complete results are offered. Furthermore, the report discusses the effects of COVID-19 on key economic sectors in the UAE, such as transportation, real estate, tourism, and education.
As a result of COVID-19, global aviation has experienced unprecedented challenges, with many firms unable to transport passengers freely between nations and continents due to travel ban measures established to curb the virus’s spread. The effect on scheduled departure flights is clearly obvious both globally and nationally. Furthermore, the government’s travel restrictions, curfew, and economic measures established in reaction to the COVID-19 virus impacted the profitability of the UAE’s real estate market. This is clearly evident by the decrease in general residential property prices and rental rates compared to past years.
On the other side, global travel bans and stay-at-home orders severely affected the global economy, effectively halting tourism. Furthermore, the topical method was employed to deliver this article in order to explain how the pandemic influenced the UAE’s educational institutions, students’ performance, and attitudes via interviews with many parents.
Dubai is regarded as the dominant mode of air transportation in the Middle East, which explains the large number of confirmed instances in comparison to the other GCC nations. Furthermore, Dubai is well-known for its excellent tourism attractions, the most notable of which is Expo 2020. Furthermore, the UAE is regarded as a country that is welcoming to all nationalities from across the world, with a large number of inhabitants. When the UAE’s death cases are compared to those of Saudi Arabia and Oman, we can see that the UAE, with the biggest number of confirmed instances, performs better than Oman and Saudi Arabia in terms of death cases.
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from January-3-2020 to 5:07 Pm CET, January-13-2023, there have been 1,047,763 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 2,348 deaths, reported to WHO. As of July-5-2022, a total of 24,922,054 vaccine doses have been administered.
COVID-19’s Impact on Some Socioeconomic Sectors in the UAE:
The COVID-19 epidemic has shaped economic trends throughout the world in general from the beginning of 2020. Many socioeconomic sectors in the United Arab Emirates have survived the crisis, including aviation, real estate, tourism, education, and people’s lifestyle.
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Aviation Sector (Etihad Airways and Emirates Airlines):
Many firms have been unable to transport passengers freely between nations and continents due to travel ban regulations established to curb the spread of the virus. As a result, transportation revenues in general, and aviation in particular, have plunged, facing a number of short and long-term challenges, beginning with salary cutbacks and layoffs.
People who used public transit, such as buses and the metro, were told to observe the rules set by the ruling classes. Some of these limitations included pre-booking tickets online or using bank cards with Wi-Fi payment. It was strongly advised to avoid making cash payments. Furthermore, a one-meter gap should be maintained between people at all times and in all scenarios, including transportation and waiting areas. Seats near the driver were constantly closed for the safety of the operators and passengers. Furthermore, only those with a green pass were able to enter the stations and buses. All employees, drivers, and passengers were required to wear masks at all times.
After a few months of COVID-19, public transit (buses and taxis) was permitted to resume operations throughout the Seven Emirates. However, to enter Abu Dhabi, a green pass with a negative nose test is required. According to the president of the International Air Transport Association, the trade association of the world’s airlines, global airlines will require an additional $70 – 80 billion (256.9 – 293.6 billion dirhams) in government assistance due to the Coronavirus pandemic (Reuters, 2020).
Impact of COVID-19 on the Real Estate Market
COVID-19 has also inspired the creation and execution of economic policies affecting the real estate sector in the UAE. During the epidemic, the UAE government established rental assistance programs in each of the emirates. In Dubai, for example, the government established a policy in 2020 that suspended all court evictions. The regulation was designed to protect homeowners and real estate consumers who were unable to pay on time. Debtors were also entitled to postpone debt repayments during the COVID-19 epidemic. As a result, economic policies undermine the profitability of the real estate market and frighten away investors.
Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism in UAE:
The tourist sector has long been an important aspect of the UAE’s economy. Tourism contributed 11.59 percent of the country’s overall GDP in 2019. (Al-Qasem et al., 2021). Up to 8.36 million intercontinental travelers visited the UAE in the second quarter of 2019, leading to a 3% increase in tourism volume compared to 2018. As a result, the administration predicted that the country would draw around 20 million tourists the following year. Unfortunately, the significant increase in coronavirus infections hit many countries of the world, including the United Arab Emirates. The government limited the number of tourist permits issued and canceled scheduled flights (Chmaytelli & Khalek, 2020). The unanticipated measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic eventually resulted in a drop in tourism in the UAE.
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Education in UAE:
The pandemic outbreak caused a shift to online and distant schooling, which had a severe impact on students’ performance. This study, on the other hand, will explore the COVID-19 influence on education in the UAE from both the good and bad perspectives. This chapter is based on my personal experience as a mother as well as interviews with neighbors, teachers, and coworkers.
Conclusion:
The pandemic epidemic resulted in a shift to online and distance education, which had a negative influence on student performance. This research, on the other hand, will investigate COVID-19’s impact on education in the UAE from both positive and negative views. This chapter is based on my own mothering experience as well as interviews with neighbors, teachers, and coworkers. Due to restrictions on migration in and out of the UAE, the number of persons able to purchase constructed residences has decreased. On the other side, pandemic-prevention efforts have had an impact on the tourist industry. Many activities have been canceled, affecting the growth and development of the UAE tourist industry. This article also examines the influence of the COVID-19 issue on education in the UAE, where schools and families have gained new and useful technological skills; nonetheless, numerous detrimental effects on many educational levels have happened.
