Dubai is witnessing a significant decline in new COVID-19 cases below 100 over the past few weeks. Notably, Dubai is gradually returning to pre-pandemic levels with full resumption of business operations in the aviation sector.

As Dubai International (DXB) airport fully reopens its economic activities, the emirate is indicating a complete return to normalcy as part of efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this week, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), chairman of Dubai Airports and chairman and CEO of Emirates Group, announced that Dubai airports will return to full capacity after the reopening of its last shut concourse in two weeks.

After months of COVID-19 repercussions, Dubai's aviation industry is recovering with positive indications. As passenger traffic grew and the aviation sector recovers from COVID-10, DXB was named the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic in October. According to global travel data provider OAG, the Dubai airport handled 2.72 million seats. In the first six months of 2021, Dubai airports handled 10.6 million passengers and 13 million passengers in the first seven months of this year.

Anum Noor, a Sharjah resident of 10 years, expressed excitement towards life returning to normal after nearly two years of pandemic lockdown.

“Thank God, flights are operating now to nearly full capacity because we can visit our country for vacations. It’s been a real struggle the last two years, especially travelling to our home countries. Covid has really disrupted the life of the people,” she said.

Furthermore, the UAE is seeing a decreasing number of new Coronavirus cases across several parts of the country. It is the robust vaccination campaigns, preventive measures implemented by public and private sectors as well as the adoption of strict laws to contain the pandemic that helped the UAE in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Since October, new Coronavirus cases have been less than 100 per day.

In addition, nearly 98 percent of UAE residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while around 88 percent of the population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

As per the Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking for October, the UAE has been rated the third safest country in the world for effectively and efficiently handling the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anish Mehta, a long-time Dubai resident, congratulated Dubai and UAE authorities for containing the spread of COVID-19. He added that COVID-19 cases have reduced to two digits per day thanks to mass vaccination in a short period of time and excellent healthcare facilities in the country.

He further hailed the success of Expo 2020 Dubai and upcoming events such as the Dubai Shopping Festival and reopening of tourist destinations like Global Village as a positive indicator towards the growth of key sectors in the country.

"With airports becoming fully functional in a couple of weeks, the remaining sectors which have still not recovered yet will flourish, too,” added Mehta, immediate past chairman of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Dubai.

Dubai resident Nasir Iqbal welcomed the emirate's decision to reduce social distancing protocols from two to one metre after several months of efforts against the pandemic.

Iqbal praised Dubai for emerging as a role model for managing the COVID-19 crisis. He added that Dubai showed unprecedented resilience and excellent handling of the vaccination drive. At the same time, people complied with precautionary measures and supported the government by sharing the responsibility.

"Life is returning to normal, people are enjoying the pleasant weather and celebrating the festive season. Businesses are not only in full swing but highly optimistic at the back of all these developments,” Iqbal said.

Residents have expressed confidence in returning to 100 percent normalcy in the country as relevant authorities continue their efforts to combat the pandemic.

"Mega sports events such as ICC T20 Cricket World, fitness event Dubai Ride and the government’s decision to reduce social distances from two to one metre are testament to the fact that life is returning to normalcy," he added.