Dubai set to resume business activities, allow free movement from May 27

The Crown Prince Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed on May 25 reportedly announced that Dubai will begin allowing free movement and business activity to restart from May 27. According to an international media outlet, the city will have no restrictions on movement or business operations between 6:00am and 11:00pm. However, with the opening of some retail and wholesale businesses, the authorities said that the sterilisation operations and social distancing measures are to be kept in mind. 

The city is all set to resume cinemas, indoor gyms and education and treatment centres for children among others. Furthermore, the officials also allowed malls to reopen at limited capacity. Dine-in restaurants and cafes are now allowed to resume business but at only 30 per cent capacity. Public parks are also allowed, but with restrictions. 

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Monday's announcement also reversed a measure taken by the UAE last week to extend it nationwide curfew by two hours after reporting an increase in daily cases of the deadly coronavirus. Meanwhile, the authorities also announced that Dubai’s airport will also begin to receive returning residents and travellers in transit. Currently, UAE has more than 30,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and the virus has claimed nearly 248 deaths in the country. 

Earlier, UAE had also suspended entry of non-Emirati residents, however, as per the recent announcement, the officials will soon start allowing in those with valid residencies stranded abroad whose families are in the UAE. As per a media report, the residents with relatives in the UAE could also start returning as of June 1. 

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Rapid coronavirus testing technology 

Meanwhile, a UAE-based company recently announced that it has developed novel equipment which enables much faster mass screenings, with test result available in seconds. The break-through device will be enabling ‘mass-scale screening’ and will also be changing the whole dimension of tracing. 

Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, expressed hope over the discovery saying: “We are always following innovations related to the early and rapid detection of COVID–19. The government is keen on supporting initiatives that help the healthcare system in the UAE. Health officials have been closely monitoring the progress of trials with QuantLase in order to test this equipment. We are proud to see a technology that works and that will help to protect our people better.”

(Inputs: AP/Image: Pixabay) 

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