Emaar chairman Mohamed Alabbar has hit back at claims that Emaar has suspended work on major projects projects due to Covid-19-related issues, describing them as “nonsense being peddled by people in the media who have no sense.”

It follows a report by Reuters earlier today that Emaar had suspended work on major projects, including Dubai Creek Harbour, that has added to a slowdown in the emirate's real estate market.

Speaking to Arabian Business, Alabbar said: “This is not even speculation or rumour, it is total lies and nonsense. And I am astonished that in this time, when the whole world is on lockdown, people can come up with this kind of thing to damage us. I won’t allow it. Let’s be clear. There is no virus on any of our sites. There are no cases of Covid-19. None of our sites have stopped operating.”

He added: “Are we operating at full capacity on every site? Well no, of course not. But you don’t need to be an award-winning investigative journalist to know that. You just need to look out the window and see that we, like most of the world, are on lockdown. Planes are not flying. Most of America is at home. Boris Johnson is in intensive care. Do you not think that would probably mean some things are slowing down?”

Alabbar said that like most major companies, Emaar had taken radical cost cutting measures to steer it through the crisis.

He said: “All I know for sure is that this will end, and we will get through this and be back. But nobody knows when. But in the meantime, I won’t allow anyone to damage Emaar or the UAE by false claims. There is nonsense being peddled in the media by people who have no sense.”