Dubai: exhibition 2020 Dubai, a major world fair that opened last week, said on Sunday that three workers of the project had died after contracting Covid-19, revising the number of fatalities from 2015 to six workers.
Organizers first disclosed three work-related deaths and 72 serious injuries among 200,000 workers during the site’s construction on Saturday, defending the accident rate as less than half that of construction work in Britain.
“Unfortunately we have had three labor related deaths due to COVID. This was during the pandemic,” the expo representative said. Sconed McGatchin told in the daily briefing.
McGatchin said the three deaths previously disclosed were related to construction. He referred reporters to local authorities for comment on how many expo workers had caught COVID-19 so far.
The Dubai government’s media office did not immediately respond to an emailed Reuters request for comment.
Major projects in the Gulf region such as the Expo, and Qatar’s preparations to host the 2022 FIFA Football World Cup have faced international scrutiny, with rights groups criticizing the conditions for low-wage migrant workers.
Overcrowding of worker housing was one of the main factors in the rise of infections in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states at the start of the pandemic. Expo 2020 says that workers’ accommodations are audited to ensure conditions are not cramped.
The UAE does not give a breakdown of COVID-19 cases and deaths for each emirate, including the regional trade and tourism hub of Dubai. The country has launched one of the world’s fastest vaccination campaigns, with more than 80% of its population of about 10 million people vaccinated.
The UAE is betting that 25 million people will visit the six-month expo. Visitors who are 18 years of age and older entering must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. There are also testing facilities on site.
Organizers first disclosed three work-related deaths and 72 serious injuries among 200,000 workers during the site’s construction on Saturday, defending the accident rate as less than half that of construction work in Britain.
“Unfortunately we have had three labor related deaths due to COVID. This was during the pandemic,” the expo representative said. Sconed McGatchin told in the daily briefing.
McGatchin said the three deaths previously disclosed were related to construction. He referred reporters to local authorities for comment on how many expo workers had caught COVID-19 so far.
The Dubai government’s media office did not immediately respond to an emailed Reuters request for comment.
Major projects in the Gulf region such as the Expo, and Qatar’s preparations to host the 2022 FIFA Football World Cup have faced international scrutiny, with rights groups criticizing the conditions for low-wage migrant workers.
Overcrowding of worker housing was one of the main factors in the rise of infections in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states at the start of the pandemic. Expo 2020 says that workers’ accommodations are audited to ensure conditions are not cramped.
The UAE does not give a breakdown of COVID-19 cases and deaths for each emirate, including the regional trade and tourism hub of Dubai. The country has launched one of the world’s fastest vaccination campaigns, with more than 80% of its population of about 10 million people vaccinated.
The UAE is betting that 25 million people will visit the six-month expo. Visitors who are 18 years of age and older entering must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. There are also testing facilities on site.
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