Masks will continue to be mandatory in closed spaces…

Face masks will no longer be mandatory in certain settings in the UAE from Saturday February 26 as the country continues to relax Covid-19 restrictions.

An initial announcement gave March 1 as the date for the relaxation of rules, but an update posted to Twitter revised the date to Saturday February 26.

From this weekend, face masks will become optional across the UAE when people are in open spaces, but must still be worn in closed settings. The announcement was made by the UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority via Twitter on Friday night.

The move is in line with the country’s efforts to achieve sustainable recovery while preserving the health and safety of residents and visitors, the announcement read.

In additon to the changes to mask wearing rules in the UAE, it was also announced that those that come into contact with a positive case will no longer have to isolate, provided they undergo two PCR tests 48 hours apart within five days of contact.

The news comes on the same evening that Abu Dhabi’s Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee announced that Green Pass would no longer be mandatory to enter the UAE capital from other emirates from Monday February 28.