The infected cases include a two-month-old infant and a number of elderly people

Thirty of the new cases infected with Covid-19 belong to two families who broke social distancing and held a family gathering that got them infected, a senior government official has announced

During the regular virtual press briefing held in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, Dr Amna Al Dahak Al Shamsi, official spokesperson of the UAE Government, said 546 new cases of coronavirus have been recorded in the UAE after 25,573 more tests were carried out. This brings the total number of people infected with Covid-19 in the country to 15,738.

The official also announced 11 new coronavirus deaths due to complications related to chronic illnesses taking the death toll to 157.

“Thirty of the new cases infected with Covid-19 belong to two families who broke social distancing and held a family gathering that got them infected. The infected cases include a two-month-old infant and a number of elderly people,” said Al Shamsi.

A total of 206 new recoveries were also registered on Wednesday.

The official noted that the month of May has witnessed an increase in recoveries from Covid-19. “The average number of recoveries now stands at 150 cases this month while there was a average of 100 recoveries in the previous months,” she said, adding that the total number of patients who have fully recovered from Covid-19 now stands at 3,359 and the number is continuously increasing.

Currently, 12,222 patients are still receiving treatment, she said.

“The commitment to combating Covid-19 should be in actions and not in words. Nothing has value if we don’t protect our loved ones, our fathers, mothers and senior citizens. It’s our responsibility to protect them because they are the segment of the society who are more vulnerable to this pandemic,” she said, adding that the public has to be very keen and shouldn’t underestimate the consequences of Covid-19.

Al Shamsi said the commitment to fighting Covid-19 is a national obligation and urged everyone to continue adhering to all the precautionary measures put in place by the government.

“We should protect the children and the elderly. Yesterday (Tuesday), children below 12 and old people above 60 were prohibited from visiting shopping malls, supermarkets, cooperative stores and other retail outlets as part of precautionary measures to protect their health,” she said.

The official told people to continue with the social distancing, stay home and to wear masks and gloves when they have moved outside.

She said the recent partial easing of restrictions doesn’t mean that people should gather in public places, stressing that those caught violating the rules will be punished.