Social media users share picture showing packed crowds, saying it was taken in Abu Dhabi mall on April 29. -- Courtesy Twitter

By Tommy Hilton

DUBAI -- Abu Dhabi has disinfected 41 malls and called for the shops that have reopened to comply with regulations aimed at protecting people from coronavirus, according to reports from the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) on Saturday.

The United Arab Emirates has implemented various measures aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus in the country, which has now infected over 13,000 people in the country. Although Abu Dhabi never implemented a 24-hour curfew like Dubai, it did close shops and malls, reopening some malls for the beginning of Ramadan under strict new guidelines.

On Sunday, Abu Dhabi Municipality disinfected a further 41 shopping centers – 30 on Abu Dhabi Island and 11 on the mainland – in a campaign aimed at preventing further spread of the coronavirus among shoppers.

The campaign was carried out by 25 engineers and inspectors, 391 workers and 55 supervisors.

According to ADDED Undersecretary Rashed Abdul Karim Al Balooshi, five permits have been given to shopping centers to reopen in Abu Dhabi so far. He said that ADDED was working with the rest to disinfect them and ensure they were complying with regulations for gradual reopening.

ADDED also issued a statement, carried by WAM, calling on shopping centers and malls to continue to comply with the new guidelines facilitating the reopening of shops. These include customers limiting their shops to two hours, wearing gloves and face masks at all times, and being screened by thermal scanners on entry.

Social media users had previously reported scenes of packed crowds in Abdu Dhabi mall, suggesting regulations were not being followed.

Al Balooshi also highlighted the importance of maintaining social distancing and avoiding congestion as central to shops reopening safely. -- Al Arabiya English