Coronavirus: Dubai to extend 24-hour stay-home order for another week

Dubai will continue with its 24-hour mandatory stay-home order for another week, the government said on Friday.

The system that requires residents to apply for a police permit to leave home for essential shopping will remain in effect.

The process was brought in two weeks ago to help tackle a rising number of Covid-19 cases.

On Thursday, police tightened the system to ensure residents could only leave home once every three days.

Last week, a senior police chief thanked residents for complying with the order - but voiced frustration at a "reckless" handful of people who tried to get around travel restrictions.

A statement by Dubai's Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management reiterated that members of the public were allowed to go out for:

• Essentials such as buying food - only one family member is permitted to leave the house for this purpose. A permit for this category will be issued only once every three days. Additional requests during this three-day period will be rejected.
• Buying medicines or getting medical assistance from healthcare service providers like hospitals, clinics and pharmacies. Permits for medical visits can be obtained by applying under the medical emergency category.
• Covid-19 tests in clinics and hospitals
• Cash withdrawal: The permit for this category will be issued only once every five days and will allow residents to leave their homes for no more than one hour. During this time, the applicant should only use the nearest ATM and not leave the area in which they live.

Earlier, the government announced that families who had lost a loved one to Covid-19 would be provided for by a UAE government-linked charity.

Emirates Red Crescent was chosen to be patron of families of "all nationalities" who have lost a relative.

Dr Mohammed Al Falahi, secretary-general of ERC, said it would "provide everything that these families need... to overcome the ordeal of losing a loved one", state news agency Wam reported.

Thirty-seven UAE residents had lost their lives to the virus as of Saturday, April 18.

Among them was Nigel Beaton, who died in a government hospital in Dubai last week.

The British events company manager was the first UAE fatality to be publicly-identified. He left behind his wife, Karen and two young daughters, three-year-old Fia and Isla, 6.

"He was an incredible man with a heart of gold," long-time friend Daz Jamieson told The National.