Dubai all set to allow free movement, business operations from Wednesday

Dubai will begin allowing free movement and business activity to restart from tomorrow. There will be no restrictions on movement or business operations between 6 am and 11 pm, the Dubai media office said in a press release.

Some retail and wholesale businesses will be allowed to reopen, subject to further sterilisation operations and social distancing measures, the media office tweeted.

Those will include cinemas, indoor gyms and education and treatment centres for children. Business and tourism hub Dubai allowed malls to reopen at limited capacity during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that began on April 24.

Dubai also has allowed dine-in restaurants and cafés to resume business at 30% capacity and public parks to reopen with restrictions.

The announcement reverses a measure taken last week by the United Arab Emirates to extend its nationwide curfew by two hours after reporting an increase in daily cases of the coronavirus.

The UAE reported 822 new cases yesterday, taking the cumulative total to 30,307, with 248 deaths.

The statement added that Dubai’s airport also will begin to receive returning residents and travellers in transit as of tomorrow.

The UAE, which had suspended entry of non-Emirati residents on March 19, said last week it would start allowing in those with valid residencies stranded abroad whose families are in the UAE as of June 1.

The country halted regular passenger flights and closed most public venues to combat the disease. But like other Gulf Arab states it saw the virus spread among low-income migrant workers living in overcrowded quarters, leading it to increase testing.