Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management has eased restrictions on movement in Al Ras and Naif in Dubai.
The Committee headed by Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, took this decision to reduce the 24-hour controls on movement as both areas recorded zero COVID-19 cases in the last two days.
The news was greeted with street parades and celebrations by the authorities and the public in Dubai.
The Committee has facilitated the restoration of an updated list of exempted commercial activities and sectors. However as part of the first phase, the public will be allowed to leave their homes only for medical emergencies between 10.00 pm and 6.00 am.
Sectors and activities exempted from the restrictions can continue to operate normally, including hospitals and deliveries.
As with the rest of the emirate, public movement in these areas will return to normal between 6.00 am and 10.00 pm and restrictions will be in place only between 10.00 pm and 6.00 am.
The committee said that a critical role in controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus was due to the:
- Combined efforts of all teams involved in the comprehensive sterilisation programme.
- Comprehensive monitoring and isolation of suspected cases
Malls in Dubai too are gearing up prior to opening to ensure the safety and health of customers, staff and tenants.
Government Transaction Centres can now resume work in line with this partial easing of restrictions on movement in Dubai, but based on strict guidelines issued by Dubai Economy which include:
- Work from 9 am to 3 pm
- Employee count should not exceed 30% while continuing to provide services to customers remotely.
- The centre should not exceed 30% of its capacity as well
- Adhere to guidelines on sanitisation and social distancing including wearing masks.
Commercial shop owners too have been directed by Dubai Economy to adhere to safety and precautionary guidelines to avoid fines and closure measures. The measures include:
- Wearing masks & gloves
- Sanitisation measures
- Distancing & forbidding crowds within the store
Dubai Metro restarted from yesterday
Meanwhile Dubai Metro services have also been reinstated and resumes its daily trips starting Sunday, 26 April between 7 AM and11 PM Saturday to Thursday, and between 10 AM to 11 PM every Friday.
This too comes as part of the partial lifting of movement restrictions, which were put in place earlier to help curb the spread of Covid-19.
Metro services had been suspended since April 4.
Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai tweeted to commuters to adhere to safety guidelines before the reopening of its service.
“Personal hygiene can keep you safe and healthy in these challenging times. Follow these guidelines to ensure your own safety on board the metro, public buses and taxis”, RTA tweeted.
RTA also had signs posted all around and enforced social distancing norms at all entry points of the stations.
It also tweeted that it adopts essential preventive measures during necessary trips on taxis, public buses and metro.
The Ministry for Health and Prevention Dubai has announced 536 new cases, 91 recoveries and 5 deaths due to COVID-19. This takes the total number of confirmed cases to 10,349 in the UAE.