Abu Dhabi DED guidelines for business reopening

• Business Reopening Guidelines
• Low Risk Individuals

With things gradually returning to normalcy, DED Abu Dhabi has issued a set of comprehensive guidelines for business reopening in the capital. In line with the COVID-19 preventive measures, these Abu Dhabi DED guidelines for business reopening will ensure workplace and employee safety. 

ABU DHABI DED REOPENING GUIDELINES FOR BUSINESSES

The new guidelines include sector-specific and general stipulations that must be followed by all businesses reopening in Abu Dhabi. Here’s a detailed look at what these instructions entail.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

All businesses in sectors other than construction, utilities and manufacturing, must maintain a 30% attendance cap at all times.

All companies and businesses across the board must practice social distancing and proper sanitisation of shared spaces.

Low-risk individuals can join the workplace. However, those who can work effectively from home, should do so. 

• Employers must accommodate their staff in case employees with kids wish to work from home while the schools are closed
• No penalties or pressure can be applied to employees ineligible to join back work

SPECIFIC GUIDELINES FOR WHOLESALE AND RETAIL SECTORS

All wholesale and retail businesses reopening in Abu Dhabi must take the following measures to avoid closure or penalties.

• Malls and large retail spaces must have thermal cameras at the entrance
• Any fevers or noticeable symptoms must be reported to the Department of Health (DoH)
• The staff should wear gloves and face masks at all times
• There should be face masks for customers (gloves recommended)
• Store displays must be protected with plastic shielding or barriers or removed otherwise
• Store capacity should be restricted at 5m² per customer – number of customers will depend on the total floor area of the outlet
• No communal areas should be open
• Proper signage for 2m distancing reminder
• There must be no form of physical contact between customers and the staff
• Entry points should have sanitisation or hand-washing arrangements
• Stores must maintain unidirectional flow with separate exit and entry points

• Malls must have disinfection gateways at all exit and entry points
• Mall staff must be tested and cleared before joining work
• Payments must be contactless (via credit/debit cards or E-wallets in UAE)
• Mall parking must be limited to its 50% capacity
• Where possible plastic shields must be installed to separate staff and customers
• Wholesale and Retail outlets must reduce or eliminate the use of hi-tech surfaces

SPECIFIC GUIDELINES FOR UTILITIES, MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION SECTORS

The manufacturing, construction and utilities sectors reopening in Abu Dhabi must

• Perform temperature checks on all entry points
• Inform the DoH about any fevers or noticeable symptoms detected
• Make employees wear face masks at all times and protective disposable gloves in shared spaces
• Ensure the site buses do not exceed 50% capacity
• Make sure no employees leave site during breaks
• Have sanitisation and handwashing facilities on all entry points
• Disinfect high touch surfaces daily
• Ensure truck drivers do not leave their cabins during visits, even for loading/unloading materials
• Enforce proper social distancing during breaks in communal spaces
• Practice 2m social distancing across the board, wherever possible
• Make employees work on independent tasks, where possible
• Restrict the sharing of equipment as much as they can
• Stagger breaks and times for arrival and departure of employees

WHO ARE LOW RISK INDIVIDUALS

Even though the ADDED business reopening guidelines have allowed people to return to their workplaces, the stipulation only applies to low risk individuals. To qualify as a low risk individual, an employee must

• Be aged between 18 and 55 years
• Live with low risk individuals or alone
• Not have any chronic diseases

People not classified as low risk individuals include:

• Anyone aged 55 or above
• Pregnant women
• Anyone living with people with chronic diseases or high risk individuals (pregnant or aged 60 and above) 

That’s all we have for you now. These Abu Dhabi DED reopening guidelines for businesses will ensure a smooth and safe transitioning of the corporate and industrial sectors into what is now being perceived as the new normal. 

A similar progression was witnessed in Dubai a couple of weeks back as businesses were allowed to reopen following the DED reopening guidelines for the same. 

After more than a month of strict quarantine, the UAE is finally and slowly returning back to routine. However, it is important to realise that even though businesses and cities are reopening, people are advised to and must stay at home, wherever possible, for their own safety.

For more on life in the UAE, stay tuned to MyBayut.