Public transport to be suspended, taxis excluded
The Sterilisation Programme will be conducted from 8pm to 6am from today (Thursday) to Sunday morning. The last round of sterilisation operations will end at 6am on Sunday, 29 March
Further to the National Sterilisation Programme rolled out by the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the Ministry of Interior to disinfect public facilities and transit means, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will suspend normal public transport services for the duration of the operations to be held during overnight hours on Sterlisation Programme days.
Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will cease Dubai Metro, Tram and marine transport services daily from 08:00 pm to 06:00 am – from Thursday to Sunday morning. All public transit means will operate according to their normal schedules during the Sterilisation Programme from 07:00 am to 07:00 pm.
The Sterilisation Programme will be conducted from 08:00 pm to 06:00 am from today (Thursday) to Sunday morning. The last round of sterilisation operations will end at 06:00 am on Sunday 29 March 2020.
Dubai Taxis will serve the public via Careem and Uber Apps, offering rides only to hospitals. Public buses will continue to operate during the overnight sterilisation period on 13 routes namely: 8, 10, 12, A13, 17, 24, C01, C07, F18, F21, F34, F43 and X23. The bus service will run at a frequency of 30 minutes. These routes serve 19 public and private hospitals, namely: Rashid Hospital, Oud Metha; Iranian Hospital, Al Wasl; Zulekha Hospital, Al Qusais; Dubai Hospital, Al Khaleej Road, Deira; Baraha Hospital, Al Baraha, Deira; Latifa Hospital, Al Wasl; NMC Hospital, Al Qusais; Zulekha Hospital, Al Qusais; American Hospital, Oud Metha; Saudi German Hospital, Al Barsha; Emirates Speciality Hospital, Healthcare City; Dubai Dental Hospital, Healthcare City; BR Medical Suites Day Surgical Center, Healthcare City; Sapphire Day Surgery Centre, Healthcare City; American Heart Center, Healthcare City; Dr Riadh Hospital, Healthcare City; Emirates Integra Medical & Surgery Centre, Healthcare City; Medclinic City Hospital, Healthcare City; and Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Hospital, Healthcare City.
During the National Sterilisation Programme period, the medical service will be restricted to those serving vital sectors as specified in the decisions of the Ministries of Health and Interior as well as the urgent medical conditions.
RTA public transit services will revert to regular timings from 07:00 am to 07:00 pm during the days of the National Sterilisation Programme.
RTA calls on public transit passengers to cooperate with supervisors deployed at stations, metro and tram carriages and drivers of public buses and taxis. Passengers are also urged to use personal protective equipment while riding public buses or moving around public areas.
The traffic movement in the Emirate of Sharjah will be restricted, in addition to suspending the public buses and intercity buses during this weekend, the Sharjah Road and Transport Authority announced on Thursday. Taxis are exempt from the decision, the Authority added.
The move comes as a fulfilment of the instructions issued by the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the Ministry of Interior, to conduct the “National Disinfection Drive” during the weekend.
According to the SRTA, implementation of the decision started on Thursday, at 8:00pm until 6:00am on Sunday, March 29. During that period, all public facilities and transportation will be sterilised within the national sterilization programme. The move aims to ensure the safety of individuals and society, and stand as precautionary measures to curb the spread of coronavirus “COVID-19”.
The decision excludes taxis that will work regularly. It has been coordinated with franchise companies operating in the emirate to necessarily sterilise taxis after each trip, and obliging their drivers to wear gloves and masks.
In the same context, the Ajman Transport has announced the suspension of all public buses starting from 7 pm on Thursday, until 6 am on Sunday. Taxis are excluded from the decision, it added. The step also comes in line with the directives issued by the MOHP and the MOI.