Abu Dhabi will only allow vaccinated people in some public spaces from Aug. 20

ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi has announced that a wide range of public places will soon be accessible only to those vaccinated against the coronavirus in a bid to encourage more people to get shots.

The Emirati government on Monday said that starting August 20, authorities will begin restricting access to shopping malls, restaurants, cafes, sporting activities, museums, gyms, schools and universities, the emirate's media office said in a tweet on Monday.

The decision doesn’t apply to those who are unvaccinated because of an exemption, nor to children aged 15 and below, the media office added.

The Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee has approved allowing only those vaccinated to enter some public places, after vaccinating 93 per cent of target groups in the emirate and to preserve public health. pic.twitter.com/KUGz9YWqTa

— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@admediaoffice) June 28, 2021

The unvaccinated will effectively be barred from entering any business in the UAE capital except for supermarkets and pharmacies.

Abu Dhabi has already rolled out a “green pass” system that limits public access to those who have either received the shot or can show a negative virus test.

It comes as the country looks to economic reopening helped by its speedy vaccination campaign. The government says at least 93% of Abu Dhabi’s population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The neighboring travel hub of Dubai also has introduced some vaccination restrictions on mass entertainment and sporting events. However, malls and other businesses remain open to the unvaccinated.

The UAE boasts one of the world’s fastest inoculation campaigns, with 15.1 million doses administered to its population of some 9 million.

Meanwhile, the UAE recorded six COVID-19 deaths on Monday, raising the death toll 1,802.
The Ministry of Health and Protection also reported 2,040 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 628,976, while 1,988 patients recovered from the virus in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total to 607,606.

آخر الإحصائيات حول إصابات فيروس كوفيد 19 في الإمارات

The latest update of Coronavirus (Covid 19) in the UAE#نلتزم_لننتصر #التزامك_حياتك #ملتزمون_يا_وطن #كوفيد19 #وزارة_الصحة_ووقاية_المجتمع_الإمارات #we_commit_until_we_succeed #covid19 #mohap_uae pic.twitter.com/bOkwCWiXId

— وزارة الصحة ووقاية المجتمع - MOHAP UAE (@mohapuae) June 28, 2021

* With AP and Reuters

Abu Dhabi will only allow vaccinated people in some public spaces from Aug. 20