COVID-19: How Indian, Pakistani, Filipino and Sri Lankan community groups helped fight the pandemic in the UAE

COVID-19: How Indian, Pakistani, Filipino and Sri Lankan community groups helped fight the pandemic in the UAE

It's been a year since the National Disinfection Programme was rolled out in the UAE to fight COVID-19. March 26, 2020, marked a turning point in the UAE's fight against the global pandemic. That was when community groups in the country started to rally around the UAE's efforts to tackle the coronavirus. Volunteers from all communities put their lives on the line to help the distressed. Some of them died, and many of them contracted the virus. But that didn't stop the volunteers from helping people who needed it the most. Here we look at some of the community efforts to help rein in COVID-19 infection. Sreevidya Manoj was running a high fever. She had trouble breathing. The symptoms were very obvious. It must be COVID-19, she thought. Panic swept over her. She didn't know whom to call for help. How does she go about it? The Sharjah resident's problems multiplied as her husband, daughter, and brother too fell ill. Word got out that the family was suffering. The news reached a Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre unit in the UAE, and their volunteers swung into action. "There was a delay in getting people admitted due to the high number of