In a statement of early Monday, March 23, the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the National Emergency and Crisis and Disasters Management Authority has announced that all commercial centers, shopping malls, fresh fish, meat and vegetable markets have to be closed in the next 48 hours. Only supermarkets and pharmacies with all essential goods will remain open.
This act also excludes food retail outlets, cooperative societies, grocery stores, hypermarkets, and fish, meat and vegetable markets dealing with wholesalers.
Last week, several malls across the country had cut the working hours (till 08:00 PM instead of 12:00 AM) with the purpose to reduce the time customers spending in the area. Some malls and outlets announced about offering online shopping, some provides free delivery.
Now, the decision states the complete closure of the malls. Such restrictions are implemented to decrease the level of spreading COVID-19, which is highly infectious in public places.
The period of two weeks will be subject to review and re-assessment, depending on the situation. The government asks and urges UAE citizens to stay at home unless the absolute necessity – to collect groceries, medicine or do some essential job.
Now more than one-fifth of the people worldwide are called for staying at home. Almost 15,000 global cases had lethal side effects, with 336,000 infection cases confirmed. 98,334 got recovered.
Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus which is causing illness in humans and animals. Most people infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus will feel mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without any special treatment. Older people, as well as those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness, and require immediate assistance. Novel Coronavirus was first identified in a cluster with pneumonia symptoms in Wuhan city, Hubei province of China, quickly spreading around the world. On early March 2020, the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic had officially started, becoming the defining global health crisis of our time. Today, it is the greatest challenge people have faced since World War II, worsened by subsequent lockdowns of whole countries, collapse of entire industries, and a major economic recession.