In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the public authorities in the UAE have taken proactive and adequate measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its citizens, residents and visitors. The UAE currently leads the world nations in the number of Covid-19 vaccines administered, with 93% of its population being vaccinated and 82 % being fully vaccinated. This is a staggering achievement and combined with the Covid-19 protection measures, the country has successfully brought life close to normal, with residents being able to enjoy a more accessible and healthier environment compared to many other nations. 

Amongst the safety measures implemented by the UAE, the government has introduced the Al Hosn application, which functions as the official application of the government for both contact tracing, as well as health status updates related to Covid-19. The application serves as the e-platform facilitating the following measures:

Obtaining negative PCR tests has been one of the measures implemented by the UAE government, and the Al Hosn app is relied on for sharing test reports as well as vaccination certificates. The government has been strict in implementing these measures in order to ensure the safety of all people, and thus it can be considered a grievous offence if one forges a PCR test report. On one part, such an act will be violating the criminal law as it would constitute the criminal offence of ‘forgery’, and on the other hand, such an act also compromises public safety and directly violates the safety measures imposed by the government.

Under the Federal Decree-Law No. 34/2021 ‘Concerning the Fight Against Rumors and Cybercrime’, ‘ Anyone who forges an electronic document of the federal or local government, or the public federal or local authorities or institutions shall be sentenced to provisional imprisonment and to pay fine of not less than one hundred fifty thousand Dirhams (AED 150,000) and not more than seven hundred fifty thousand Dirhams(AED 750,000).If the forgery is committed in documents of a body other than the bodies described in above clause, then the penalty shall be detention and/or payment of fine of not less than one hundred thousand Dirhams (AED 100,000) and not more than three hundred thousand Dirhams (AED 300,000). Everyone uses the forged electronic document, while informed of its forgery, shall be sentenced to the same penalty established for the crime of forgery’.

Apart from the hefty fines mentioned above, an imprisonment sentence may also be awarded for flouting health rules and posing a threat to the safety of the people. Many such arrests have taken place in the UAE, and the arrested personnel have been subject to a criminal trial.

Some of the other types of fines that are being imposed as part of the COVID-19 safety protocols include the following:

Fine Amount

AED 50,000

AED 30,000

AED 20,000

AED 10,000

The health system in the UAE provides both governments funded as well as private health facilities that provide a comprehensive health care solution. The covid-19 precautionary measures are strictly enforced within the UAE, with violations inviting hefty penalties. The UAE has also recently relaxed the rules concerning the wearing of face masks in certain public places. The new changes were brought in after the number of daily covid-19 cases had decreased by 60 per cent in comparison with the last year at this given time, which is a testament to the nation’s efficiency in handling the crisis of COVID-19. The country continues to pioneer in health care and is a leading example for the systematic handling of the covid-19 crisis and its continued economic growth and stability.