Dubai Residents Now Need Permits To Leave Their Homes

No one is allowed outside their house – unless they have applied for special permission via government channels

Dubai has now imposed strict restrictions on the movement of its residents in order to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
 
Throughout the past few weeks, the emirate has been on lockdown from 20:00 – 6:00, while conducting the National Sterilization Programme throughout the night. 
 
Now the lockdown has been extended to 24 hours a day (along with the National Sterilization Programme) and residents are prohibited from leaving their house without a government-issued permit throughout the next two weeks, according to the Emirates News Agency. While essential services, grocery stores and food deliveries will remain available to the public, stocking up on supplies or popping out to grab a bar of chocolate will no longer be a spontaneous matter.

 
For essential purchases like groceries and medicine, only one family member is allowed to leave home and must obtain a permit from the Dubai government before they can set foot off their property. Residents will also need to wear a mask and gloves at all times once they leave their home – and not only when arriving at a shop – according to a statement from the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management. 

The special permit can be obtained by applying online (dxbpermit.gov.ae) or by calling 800 PERMIT (800 737648).

Residents will be asked to enter their mobile phone number, and will then be sent a verification code to allow them to navigate to the application page of the site. They must then give their Emirates ID, the plate number of their car and their address. The entire process reportedly only takes a few minutes. The entire process reportedly only takes a few minutes.

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Supreme Committee of Crisis & Disaster Management in Dubai: The movement permit website is for general members of the public who are allowed to go out for essential needs such as buying food and medicine, medical emergencies and for COVID-19 testing. However, with regard to the exempt sectors and their employees, registration is not required,but they must obtain a letter from the employer stating their movement to&from work.The paper has to be presented if stopped by authorities. It can also be used to waive violations by radar.

A post shared by DubaiMediaOffice (@dubaimediaoffice) on Apr 5, 2020 at 11:12am PDT

Lead image courtesy of unsplash/maidmilinkic
 
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