How Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s ‘Don’t worry’ became UAE’s motto in its Covid fight

How Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s ‘Don’t worry’ became UAE’s motto in its Covid fight

Healthcare workers wore armbands featuring the reassuring words and the phrase inspired the launch of a national campaign

Published: Tue 17 May 2022, 2:39 PM Last updated: Tue 17 May 2022, 10:02 PM

‘La Tsheloon Hamm’. This Arabic phrase, which means ‘Don’t worry’, was the UAE’s rallying cry in its fight against Covid-19. First said by the newly elected UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in March 2020, the simple words spurred the launch of a mental health campaign in the country, inspired scores of officials to go the extra mile, and reassured residents.

The phrase was so inspirational that healthcare workers started sporting armbands featuring the words in a bid to reassure patients. This image shows nurses at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City wearing such a band:

In early 2020, the pandemic forced the closure of schools, offices and malls, and stay home orders were issued across the UAE. As flights were grounded and airports shut, Sheikh Mohamed set out to reassure residents that the country was fully prepared to fight the virus.

That’s when he said: “Don’t worry.”

Such was the impact of the words that the UAE Central Bank chief said they “encouraged officials to take bold steps and make