Follow Vogue Arabia

Covid-19 in Dubai: Everything to Know About Wearing Face Masks in Public

face masks, the blonds

Photo: Instagram/@theblonds

A new set of guidelines addressing the use of face masks in public areas have been announced by The Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai. Headed by His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the committee’s metrics are informed by findings from the Covid-19 Command and Control Centre and are aimed at ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the wider community.

While the committee’s recommendations are largely centred around the fundamental premise of wearing a mask at all times, exceptions to this rule include children under six, the cognitively impaired, and individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions.

For people of determination, who suffer from cognitive impairment or sensory disorders, the new guidelines make accommodations for forgoing a mask on the basis that wearing one would hamper an individual’s ability to breathe or communicate. Further accommodations are made for individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions, who require additional sources of oxygen or cannot breathe safely while using a mask. In either case, the individual must be in possession of a medical report confirming their condition.

Photo: Instagram/@dubaimediaoffice

In addition to the list of exceptions, the new guidelines also address under what circumstances masks can be temporarily removed. Outside of confined spaces, such as at home or in a car with passengers of the same household, masks are only to be removed when eating or drinking in indoor or outdoor settings, or while engaging in strenuous indoor or outdoor exercise. Beyond this, they can also be removed while undergoing specific treatments such as dental work, or beauty treatments. However, in all cases, the physical distancing rules of two metres continue to apply.

In creating what is their most comprehensive and robust set of guidelines yet, the Committee of Crisis and Disaster has confirmed that Dubai is inching closer and closer toward some semblance of normality, if not a new version of normal altogether.

For more information, visit ncema.gov.ae

Read Next: Gyms Reopen in Dubai: What You Need to Know Before Your First Workout

Suggestions
Articles
View All
Vogue Collection
Topics