Malls in the United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi began reopening to a restricted number of customers as the UAE eases lockdown measures imposed more than a month ago to combat the novel coronavirus.
Three Abu Dhabi malls reopened on Saturday at 30 percent customer capacity after adopting safety measures, including installing thermal inspection devices, the government media office tweeted and Sharjah emirate said it would reopen malls on Sunday.
Malls, dine-in restaurants and cafes in Dubai had earlier resumed operations with limited capacity. Shoppers must wear face masks and gloves and keep their distance, reported Reuters.
Sharjah emirate’s media office said malls, salons and dine-in restaurants could resume operations on Sunday.
Other public venues such as schools, mosques and cinemas remain closed in the UAE, which has so far reported 14,163 infections and 126 deaths from the virus.
The UAE had also relaxed a nationwide curfew, first announced on March 26, with the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on April 24.
