News update: Coronavirus: Dubai residents cannot leave home without new permit

Posted on April 5, 2020 Updated on April 27, 2020

Public must apply for permission each time they go shopping, government confirms.

Dubai residents must obtain prior permission each time they leave their homes as part of efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management confirmed on Sunday that all journeys outside of the home – including to pick up essential groceries – must be approved in advance.

People must register their planned trips online and outline the reason for their request, say where they will be going and give an estimated duration they will be away from their address. Those found breaching the stay-home measures will face ‘stringent legal action’.

The strict measures the latest part of the emirate’s round-the-clock restrictions on travel, which were first ramped up on Saturday.

Only one member of a household can now leave home for essential shopping in supermarkets and pharmacies. The only other journeys that are allowed are to hospital or a doctor’s appointment.

People must also wear a mask and gloves at all times once outside – not only when arriving at a shop.

An application must be filled out at https://dxbpermit.gov.ae/home before every journey.

Users will be asked to enter their mobile phone number and will then be sent a verification code to allow them to move to the application page of the site.

They must then give their Emirates ID, the plate number of their car and their address.

It must also include the time the person will leave and return time home and their destination.

Essential workers, which includes medical workers and supermarket staff among others, will not need to apply to go to work each day.

But they must carry a letter from their employer stating who they are and their Emirates ID at all times.

“The Committee stressed that only individuals registering on the website will be able to obtain permission to leave home,” said a statement from the disaster management committee.

“Those violating the restrictions will face stringent legal action. The compliance of all people is vital to the success of measures to combat the virus and ensure the highest levels of protection in the community.”

In other developments, any driver who has been flashed by speed camera in recent days would not have to pay a fine, Dubai Media Office said. But any use of a vehicle without a permit as of Sunday would be met with consequences.

On Saturday, the UAE recorded 241 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total to 1,505.

The death of an Arab national, aged 53, took the death toll to 10, while 17 more people recovered, bringing that total to 125.

The new tally means the number of cases almost tripled in a week. Officials said the figure would rise as testing increased and investigators work to trace people who had been in contact with patients before they showed symptoms.

On Saturday, Dubai closed both lines of the Metro and the tram until further notice, according to a letter sent to station retailers.

Source: The National