DUBAI: Dubai opened a 3,000-bed capacity field hospital on Saturday in its World Trade Centre to prepare for a potential surge in novel coronavirus cases. The towering event and exhibition center is located in the heart of the city, one of the seven members of the United Arab Emirates. The hospital will reinforce Dubai's healthcare system and "take advantage of all resources and infrastructure to fight the COVID-19 pandemic", said a statement from the emirate's media office said. The hospital has a capacity that can be expanded quickly to over 3,000 beds, the statement added.

The UAE has imposed strict social distancing measures and a night-time curfew to combat the spread of the virus. State news agency WAM reported on Saturday the UAE will fine people up to 20,000 dirhams ($5,500) if they share medical information about the coronavirus that contradicts official statements. The move appears to be aimed at containing the spread of misinformation and rumors related to the COVID-19 outbreak that has claimed 37 lives in the state, with 6,300 confirmed infections as of Friday.

"It is forbidden for any individual to publish, re-publish or circulate medical information or guidance which is false, misleading or which hasn't been announced officially … using print, audiovisual or social media, or online websites or any other way of publication or circulation," WAM reported, citing the government directive. The text of the government decision refers only to "individuals", without specifying whether journalists and media professionals are included.

Meanwhile, India has agreed to send hydroxychloroquine tablets to the United Arab Emirates to be used for treating COVID-19 patients, the state's embassy in New Delhi said. India last month put a ban on exports as sales soared to secure supplies for itself as US President Donald Trump touted the drug as a potential effective treatment for the deadly virus. It said this month it would send supplies to some countries. "The first shipment of medicine, currently on its way to the UAE, includes 5.5 million pills for treatment of patients with COVID-19," the embassy tweeted late on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia's highest religious body, the Council of Senior Scholars, urged Muslims worldwide to pray at home during Ramadan if their countries require social distancing to curb the spread of the coronavirus, state news agency SPA reported yesterday. The holy fasting month of Ramadan begins later this week. During the month, believers usually break their fast with families and friends and perform an evening prayer, known as taraweeh, in large gatherings at mosques.

"Muslims shall avoid gatherings, because they are the main cause of the spread of infection…and shall remember that preserving the lives of people is a great act that brings them closer to God," it said in a statement. The kingdom's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh on Friday expressed the same sentiment, saying that Muslim prayers during Ramadan and for the subsequent Eid al-Fitr feast should be performed at home if the coronavirus outbreak continues.

Saudi Arabia has reported 8,274 cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, and 92 deaths so far, the highest among the six Gulf Arab states where the total has reached 24,374 with 156 deaths. The Saudi government in mid-March stopped people performing their five daily prayers and the weekly Friday prayer inside mosques as part of efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Last week, the Prophet's Mosque in the holy city of Madinah said it was banning events that dispense evening meals in the mosque to those in need during Ramadan to break their daily fast. - Agencies