No firm shut, fined in Dubai as Covid-19 compliance improves

Dubai's Department of Economic Development (DED) on Saturday said no commercial entity was shut down and fined for failing to comply with Covid-19 measures during its latest round of inspections. An increased level of awareness was noted among shops and markets in the emirate. 
Inspections carried out by the economic department across malls and high street markets of Dubai showed that 474 companies complied with precautionary measures. However, 14 entities were issued warnings.
Since Dubai started easing Covid-19 restrictions late last month, dozens of companies have been fined for non-compliance with safety and social distancing regulations.
"High levels of awareness and compliance with market opening guidelines with zero fines and zero shutdown, is the summary of inspections conducted in shopping malls and open markets on May 1, 2020. In which 474 businesses are fully compliant," DED tweeted on Saturday.
Inspections started when the markets opened in the morning and continued until they closed. 
Dubai Economy directed traders to comply with the Covid-19 precautionary measures, such as wearing face masks and gloves; ensuring social distancing; and stopping commercial activities between 10pm and 6am during the National Sterilisation Programme, unless previous circulars exempted the activity from closing and allowed 24/7 operations.
Consumers may report any non-compliance with the Covid-19 precautionary guidelines via the Dubai Consumer App or; calling 600545555; or logging into the consumerrights.ae website.
waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com