COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates

The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case in the United Arab Emirates was announced on 29 January 2020. It was the first country in the Middle East to report a confirmed case.^[4]

The first patient, a 73-year-old Chinese woman, was released on 9 February after recovering.^[5] The first two deaths were confirmed on 20 March. On 22 March, Dubai started an 11-day sterilisation campaign as an effort to contain COVID-19. Night curfew was imposed four days later while the country began disinfection. School closure was first announced on 8 March for four weeks. Three weeks later, it was announced that schools will be closed until the end of the academic year.^{[citation needed]}