Frequent Screenings, Effective Measures, Aligned Policies and International Standards Were Endorsed at the Webinar

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 30 July 2020: The leading business and logistics hub, Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), organised the ‘Collaboration for a Safe and Sustainable Growth’ webinar to kick-start a mega awareness campaign.

Distinguished speakers participated in the webinar such as Dr. Saif Darwish, Head of Communications and Public Relations, Community Medicine Specialist, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services and Ramzi Al Zarouni, General Manager of Agility Logistics who shared their best practices in maintaining the highest safety standards to ensure efficient business continuity.

The webinar emphasized on the significance of having frequent screenings, implementing effective measures, aligning policies and following international standards to combat COVID-19 in support of Dubai and the UAE Government’s efforts to sustain a safe and sustainable environment. It showcased the comprehensive practices in maintaining a healthy workplace, whilst going back in full strength, in tandem with UAE’s plans to be amongst the fastest-recovering economies.

The comprehensive measures started with an “awareness campaign” as it represents the most important factor to prevent the spread of infection and encourages customers to conduct “frequent testing” to detect positive cases. The campaign is supported by Jafza’s “disinfection protocol” to upkeep the well-being of every person on site.

The discussion highlighted Jafza’s role in reinforcing food security in Dubai, UAE and the region. The Free Zone has added new services and advanced solution packages for the food sector. There is a special packaging made available with an advanced technology to process the final raw products, in addition to pre-built warehouses for high quality storage.

Ahmad Al Haddad, Chief Operating Officer, Parks and Zones – DP World, UAE Region, said: “It’s true that humanity had never faced such a health crisis during the past 100 years, as intense and challenging as COVID-19. Yet, our strong willpower has enabled us to overcome the challenge through determination and implementing the directives of our wise leadership, dedicating all possible capabilities and resources. All our employees and workers have shown the highest commitment during the pandemic’s worst period, working tirelessly to safeguard the wellbeing of our people and keep trade flowing.”

Al Haddad added: “Now, we are resuming our business activities and achieving rapid recovery and expansion in all areas of our economy. However, with no vaccine or effective remedy, the only protection we have is to pay extra attention to follow precautions and protective guidelines. We started by preparing all buildings and facilities in Jafza, through an intensive assessment of the current scenario and placing preventive measures to combat the spread of the virus including conducting over 7,000 COVID-19 tests amongst our staff/business partners and a comprehensive disinfection programme, making it ready to welcome our employees and customers.

“We extended our measures to support our business partners, as we provided over 1,000 free tests for employees staying in our facilities. Five buildings with over 1200 rooms to isolate the suspected or infected cases were dedicated for this purpose. We empowered our security team with advanced technology and awareness to detect any suspected cases on the spot.”

Providing further support to its partners, Jafza conducts free disinfectant services covering all accommodations exposed to positive cases. All contracted employees have to be tested monthly, to ensure the wellbeing and prevent the spread of the virus in the community.

Dr. Saif Darwish, Head of Communications and Public Relations, Community Medicine Specialist, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, said: “It is our mission to foster innovative emergency medical services and integrated care models through enhancing community engagement. As part of our efforts to combat COVID-19, we have launched Mobile Laboratory Unit (MLU) to provide free testing for the elderly and ‘people of determination’ at their homes. Our initiative has played a key role in reducing pressure on hospitals amidst the COVID-19 crisis and helped protect people at high risk. Jafza has cooperated with us as we all implemented the necessary guidelines. This remarkable response has allowed our partnership to be smooth and encouraged testing amongst employees with ease to keep the spread of the virus under control”.

Ramzi Al Zarouni, General Manager of Agility Logistics, said: “Being a leading global logistics provider in the Middle East, we truly value our partnership with Jafza thanks to their exemplary practices and running world-class facilities. At the peak of the pandemic, Jafza had shown outstanding readiness and operations resilience while maintaining the highest safety and security standards. We, at Agility Logistics, have been implementing robust measures at our facilities that cover personal hygiene, physical distancing, personal protective equipment, good housekeeping, temperature screenings and rules for handling goods and cargo. Such essential guidelines have enabled us to maintain our business continuity.”

Jafza will continue to raise awareness and collaborate with government-backed initiatives as a baseline of support to businesses and clients. Achieving this by offering interactive engagement with customers through Jafza’s Webinar, with the support of their strategic partners to further ensure a safe business environment.