Guidelines for mall reopening in Dubai: 24-hour sanitisation, strict hygiene

Editor's note: Dubai authorities have not yet announced a specific reopening date for malls and other commercial spaces. A set of guidelines has been announced for raising awareness of the public and ensuring the readiness of the retail outlets once such an announcement is eventually made.

Malls and other retail spaces will have to follow strict hygiene measures once they reopen, according to a set of guidelines issued on Wednesday.

The document did not specify when the malls and retail spaces would reopen, but asked businesses to be on standby for official announcements that "will be announced shortly".

The list detailed all the health and hygiene protocols that commercial establishments would need to comply with in order to resume services once the reopening announcement is made.

The guidelines include 24-hour mall sanitisation (including sterilisation of entrances and cleaning of toilets after every use) and entrance health checks to ensure that anyone entering the mall undergoes the mandatory temperature screening and checks.

Public safety

The venues will be required to have a dedicated area on site to isolate potential positive cases, and staff will need to be educated on both personal health safety as well as hygiene of the premises.

Thermal scanners or cameras will need to be used for health checks to monitor any potential infected cases; however, this is only applicable to malls and not high-street retailers or souqs.

Hand sanitisers will need to be installed and all visitors will be required to wear masks at all times in the mall.

Venues were directed to make electric doors operational at entrances, rather than manual ones, in order to reduce contact and contamination. They would also need to dedicate separate doors for entry and exit.

Customer trials and rights

Due to the risk of transmission posed by the trialling of fashion accessories and apparel by shoppers, the guidelines mandated that sanitisation procedures will need to be performed after each customer trial to ensure safety while maintaining consumer rights. No testing will be allowed for personal care products.

Shoppers will be required to wear masks while trying items. Any jewellery items tried by customers must be sanitised properly or quarantined, in case sanitisation is not possible due to fear of damaging the product.

Customers must be encouraged to pay through smart means (such as by credit or debit cards) as opposed to by cash. However, cash payments are valid and not to be rejected.

Sanitisation practices

Venues must ensure the availability of dedicated cleaners in restrooms to sanitise toilets after every use, as well as for any other areas in the mall that are prone to high frequency of contact.

Proper supply chain and storage quarantine practices must be followed, with a dedicated area to ensure hygiene from the point where items/clothes enter the mall or retail store.

Finally, dine-in areas must ensure the use of disposable, individually-wrapped plastic utensils, dishes or packages only. Surfaces such as tables and chairs must also be disinfected with 75% alcohol after every customer's use.