UPDATE: The restrictions will be in place between 8pm and 6am from tonight (Thursday March 26) to Sunday (March 29).
Public transport will be halted and traffic movement restricted this weekend due to a UAE National Disinfection Programme in light of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
The announcement comes from the Ministry of Health Prevention, MoHAP and the Ministry of Interior, MoI, stating that there will be a complete sterilisation of all public utilities, public transport and metro services during the weekend.
It will start at 8pm tonight (Thursday March 26) and run through until 6am on Sunday March 29.
Movement of both the traffic and the public will be restricted overnight on Thursday, Friday and Saturday between 8pm and 6am the following day. During this time public transport and the Dubai metro will not run.
MoHAP & MoI to Conduct 'National Disinfection Programme' for all public utilities, public transport over weekend#WamNews https://t.co/qboSWKMIt9 pic.twitter.com/dTJWQEmHRL
— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) March 25, 2020
Everyone is urged to stay at home during the time, unless it’s “absolutely necessary” to go out to get essential supplies or if you work in vital sectors, and then ID will be checked.
These include 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.
Supermarkets and pharmacies in the UAE are allowed to operate 24 hours a day (for more on this news, click here).
