The UAE is doing away with its mandatory mask requirements in nearly all public indoor spaces after 2.5 years.
Several other changes were announced — schools won't require teachers or students to wear masks, the country's airlines can decide for themselves whether to mandate mask-wearing, social distancing is no longer required in places of worship, and only people who have tested positive for Covid-19 will have to isolate, not those who have been in contact with them.
Dubai received praise over the last two years for its handling of the pandemic, which saw strict mask-wearing rules and early vaccine access allow it to reopen for business and visitors within a few months of its initial March to April 2020 lockdown period. The subsequent years saw a few periods of cases surging, but real estate in Dubai boomed as many expatriate workers flocked to the emirate for a semblance of normal life.
Covid-19 cases have fallen steadily in recent months to an average of between 300 and 400 per day, according to NCEMA, which cites the UAE's total case number since the pandemic began at more than a million, with 2,343 deaths.