UAE announces disinfection drive till 6am on Sunday
Movement of traffic and public will be restricted; MOHAP has urged the public to stay at home during the disinfection period and not to go out unless it’s absolutely necessary
The Ministry of Health Prevention, MOHAP and the Ministry of Interior, MOI have announced, in collaboration with relevant federal and local authorities, the ‘National Disinfection Programme’ which entails a complete sterilisation of all public utilities, public transport and metro services during the weekend.
The programme will begin at 8pm on Thursday, 26 March and ends at 6am on Sunday, 29 March 2020.
During this period, the movement of the traffic and the public will be restricted, while public transpiration and metro services will be halted.
MOHAP urged the public to stay at home during the disinfection time and not to go out unless it’s absolutely necessary to get essential supplies, such as food and medicine, or working in vital sectors, including energy, telcommunications, health, education, security, law enforcement, military, postal service, shipping and logistics, medicines, water, food, civil aviation, airports, passports, banking and financial services, government media and the service sectors, including petrol stations and construction. The workers’ personal or work identity will be checked and verified.
Pharmacies, and food retail outlets in the UAE, including cooperative societies, grocery stores, and supermarkets, will be allowed to operate 24 hours, as per a circular issued earlier by the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, NCEMA.
The two ministries also called upon the community members to follow instructions during the sanitisation time for their safety and in compliance with the precautionary measures taken by the UAE contain the coronavirus, COVID-19.
MINISTRY OF INTERIOR
The Ministry of Interior, MOI, announced that motorists may apply for the renewal of their driving licence which expires over the next three months using the available smart applications.
The service comes into effect as of Sunday, March 29, 2020, and allows for drivers’ licence renewal for up to one year, regardless of eye test or fines and black points, in an effort to enhance health and safety, as part of the precautionary and preventive measures amid the widespread coronavirus pandemic. The decision allows customers to fully process their transactions via the smart applications or the Ministry of Interior’s website, to ensure that all vital services are provided without interruption.
TRA
Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, TRA, has issued a new list of purchasing application of online stores in the UAE bringing the total number of e-stores to 44. The updated list includes applications providing new services that will enable consumers to purchase their needs along with online shopping services provided by cooperatives around the country, such as groceries, meat, fish, vegetables and fruits shops.
The new list comprises the apps of many cooperatives, including the Emirates Cooperative Society, the Sharjah Cooperative Society, the Al Etihad Cooperative Insurance Company, the Dubai Fishermen Cooperative Society, Noon, Masafi and Mydubai.
A study drafted by the “Commercial Analysis and Information” at the Ministry of Economy stressed that online commerce, including shopping through applications, enables individuals to purchase their needs from home, which reduces traffic and overcrowding in shopping malls.
The UAE is the most advanced and fastestgrowing e-commerce market in the Middle East and North Africa. The future development of this sector is supported by the availability of the internet, and advanced digital infrastructure and the presence of many young people using smartphones.
HOSPITALS
Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, TRA, stated that it has extended the validity of all wireless authorisations of hospitals and medical centres across the country, regardless of the expiry date of the authorisation.
In a statement, the announcement is part of the TRA’S efforts to support the precautionary measures taken by the UAE health sector in the current circumstances.