UAE’s Covid vaccine success will help lift most restrictions

UAE’s Covid vaccine success will help lift most restrictions

The UAE's Covid-19 vaccination programme is off to a great start and this rapid roll-out will help the country lift restrictions in the second quarter of this year. This will help expedite the economic recovery, experts have said.

They were referring to restrictions around social distancing, movement of people and others on businesses.

Capital Economics said Gulf economies that have taken a hit because of the Covid-19 pandemic will enjoy the largest “vaccine bounce”.

It said Dubai and the UAE are likely to be the “biggest beneficiary” due to easy access to vaccines.

“The UAE's vaccination programme has got off to a strong start and, if this continues, it should allow for restrictions to be lifted in Q2. Combined with stronger oil output and the hosting of the World Expo, this will support a robust recovery this year,” said Jason Tuvey, senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics.

“The UAE ranks among the best in the world in terms of the speed of its vaccination programme and will probably lift most restrictions at some point in Q2. The other Gulf countries are also in a good place to roll out vaccines quickly, although