Updated 26 September 2022 : NCEMA have just announced that indoor face masks rules in Dubai will be removed, effective from Wednesday, 28th September 2022, except for in medical facilities, places of worship, and public transport. The best bit is that – face mask is now optional in schools. What awesome news 🙂 It’s been a long, hard trip. Finally.
See original news on NCEMA’s twitter page here.
The article below was published on 1st September 2022.
Why are we still wearing face masks indoors, in Dubai ?
It has been almost 3 years since the pandemic in Dubai, and whilst the rest of the world has moved on and gone mask-free, we – Dubai, are still wearing face masks indoors.
As per KHDA guidelines (see here) – a 6 year old child, has to wear a face mask in school. This is for almost 7 hours a day. They do this whilst trying to learn, and play in an education facility – looking at teachers who are trying to teach, whilst half their face is covered by a mask. A 4 year old child is trying to learn phonics from a teacher whose mouth is completely covered.
As an adult, I go to a brunch or a bar, and I can sit there for 3 to 4 hours completely maskless. Yes, I am eating and drinking, but half the time I may just be chatting with a friend.
Does this make any sense to you?
Have you been to the malls in Dubai lately? Most people don’t even bother to wear face masks anymore.
Singapore, one of the strictest nations when it come to Covid protocols – released the rule on Monday 29th of August 2022. See article on the Singapore Government website here. Face masks are no longer require indoors, except for certain high-risk and crowded areas like hospitals and polyclinics, dental and specialist facilities, among others. It is also still required in public transport.
Since the 27th of January 2022, there is no need for face masks to be used in the United Kingdom. Subsequently, the TFL removed the need for face masks to be used in the tube as well. See rules as outlined on the Liberty of Human Rights website here.
The Telegraph put together a very well-written piece of the mask mandates throughout Europe. See article here. Basically most of the European countries have scrapped the need for a face mask, except for hospitals and care homes.
DHA, KHDA and DM – could we please relook into the need of indoor face masks in Dubai?
Let’s start with students and teachers in schools. And then let’s move on to the rest of Dubai, please.