The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, ADDED, has issued a new circular allowing owners and managers of restaurants, coffee shops, cafeterias, and fast food outlets operating inside or outside shopping malls, to raise their customer capacity to 80 percent with full adherence to the precautionary measures issued by the Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Committee to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Rashed Abdul Karim Al Balooshi, Undersecretary, ADDED, said that the department currently assesses the commercial activities that have ceased during the previous period across the emirate to better understand their capability to restore and resume their activities and provide services to the Abu Dhabi community.
He further noted that ADDED is working with strategic partners to implement the Abu Dhabi Government’s directives to stimulate and develop the emirate’s local economy and support various economic sectors in overcoming the current crisis, transforming their challenges into investment opportunities in line with regional and global changes.
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Al Balooshi added, “We are keen to implement the adherence of all restaurants, coffee shops, and cafeterias inside or outside shopping malls in the emirate to government directives and precautionary measures that will ensure the health and safety of the community members. We are confident that all parties will be cooperative in following these procedures, driven by their commitment to meet our common aspirations to successfully and safely return to full come back to normality.”
ADDED further allowed owners of restaurants and cafeterias operating inside and outside the shopping centres to increase the customer capacity to 80 percent while stating the importance of adhering to all the precautionary measures issued by the department in previous circulars.
The department directed owners of restaurants and cafeterias to give due importance on allowing only employees with low health risks to ensure health and safety in the workplace and exclude staff that have higher health risks to come to the workplace. The department said there is a need to conduct a COVID-19 test for employees every two weeks through the DPI laser technology in centres that will be established in this regard.
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