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A restaurant at the Expo 2020 has closed temporarily after 10 employees tested positive for coronavirus, and as the UAE Wednesday recorded its highest number of infections in three months.
The United Arab Emirates, with the world’s highest vaccination rates, has seen a surge in cases in recent weeks amid increased fears over the spread of the omicron variant.
Japan’s ministry of economy, trade and industry told AFP on Wednesday that 10 workers at the Sushiro restaurant linked to the Japanese pavilion had tested positive for Covid-19.
The restaurant was undergoing “deep-cleaning and sanitisation” after a number of staff were found to be infected, the Japanese pavilion had said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The cases were identified as part of the regular testing of the Expo workforce, participants and volunteers, the frequency of which has recently increased in response to the ever changing global health situation,” it said.
“The reopening of Sushiro will be announced in due course.”
The UAE, which comprises seven emirates including Dubai, on Wednesday recorded 665 coronavirus cases, the highest number of infections since September 11.
Since the pandemic began, the federation has registered more than 745,500 cases, including 2,154 deaths.
Dubai was one of the first destinations to welcome visitors again last July, alongside a robust national vaccination drive.
It has so far fully inoculated more than 93 percent of eligible people from its population of nearly 10 million.
The Expo 2020 Dubai said in a statement on Wednesday it was “doubling down” on its committment “to continue hosting an exceptional and safe World Expo”.
Expo has so far recorded more than seven million visits since opening on October 1, although “some close contact events, such as parades and roving entertainers, have been temporarily suspended as a short-term precautionary measure”.
The government is counting on the six-month Dubai Expo 2020 global trade fair to attract millions of visitors and boost the economy after it was hit hard by the pandemic.