Dubai Expo Site
Dubai Expo Site
When asked at a press conference about the deaths among the Expo’s large foreign workforce, spokesman Sconaid McGeachin said 3 had died from the virus in addition to 3 of the structure’s accidents.
She specified when the deaths occurred and declined to describe the extent of the coronavirus outbreak among site staff.
McGeachin reiterated that data on workers’ victims was available in the past, without elaborating. However, the government ahead of the US$7 billion (£5. 2 billion) fair had not provided any general statistics on workers’ coronavirus deaths, injuries or infections despite repeated requests from journalists.
This comes a day after the Expo submitted conflicting reports on the number of staff who died at the site.
The UAE has long been criticized by human rights activists for mistreating the legions of low-paid immigrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East who fuel the country’s economy.
Dubai has bet billions on its elaborate World Expo, hoping to turn it into a massive tourist attraction and attraction for the country.
But disorders have arisen. Last month, the European Parliament suggested nations not participate in the Expo, bringing to light the UAE’s “inhumane practices opposed to foreign workers” that it said have worsened the pandemic.
To pay tribute to the thousands of others who worked hard to build the fairgrounds from scratch, it features a dark monument to workers: stone columns wrapped in a roll call carved with the names of workers in Expo Jubilee Park, nestled between one level of functionality and a popular Dubai bar chain.
The major global event also prompted new complaints from human rights teams about the UAE’s crackdown on dissent and restrictions on freedom of expression.
At a press conference on Saturday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian responded to a query about the European Parliament’s considerations on labour abuses in the UAE and said France would not join his call to boycott the Expo and instead raise any potential issues with UAE authorities. “behind closed doors. “
However, the delicate exchange was inexplicably absent from the official transcript of the Expo press conference, prompting considerations about transparency at the venue.
Ms. McGeachin said of the omission: “I will review it. I need to say it’s an oversight. “
Meanwhile, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni arrived at his country’s pavilion at the Expo. He called the site and the Emirati effort to build the small town “a challenge for Africans,” as they had “turned a desert into a means of wealth. “
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