The Emirates Today monitored outlets in the northern regions, refusing customers to enter them without wearing masks and gloves, in compliance with the instructions and precautions issued by government agencies to limit the spread of the Corona virus.
Ports officials asserted that they are not responsible for supplying masks and gloves to customers, but rather for providing hand sanitizers at the entrances, according to the instructions of government agencies, while other outlets provided masks and free gloves to customers. She emphasized that this comes so that the precautionary measures applied to clients do not become a reason for their alienation from them.
The Department of Economic Development, in Ras Al-Khaimah, said that the outlets are obligated to provide hand sanitizers at the entrances, according to the precautionary measures to limit the spread of the Corona virus, and are not obligated to provide the masks and gloves to customers for free.
In detail, consumers asked the concerned authorities to require the sales outlets to provide masks and gloves of inexpensive types free of charge to customers, as it is within the health and preventive measures against the Corona virus.
They pointed out that the gloves could be torn or damaged, as well as contamination of the masks while shopping, which requires another alternative.
They indicated that they prefer to go to sales outlets and malls, which provide masks and gloves to their customers.
Officials at outlets said, they preferred not to be named, that government agencies from the municipalities and economic development departments obliged them to provide hand sanitizers at the entrances to the outlets, to enable customers to sterilize their hands when entering and leaving. They made it clear that they were not satisfied with that, but provided masks and gloves for free to customers, to help them shop without violating the instructions.
Officials indicated, in other outlets, that they are not responsible for providing masks and gloves to customers free of charge, because the outlets are responsible for providing sterilizers only to customers, according to the conditions for reopening commercial centers and malls, imposed by government agencies.
They added that they had applied the protective requirements, noting the installation of a hand sanitizer at the entrance to the outlets, and the appointment of employees to sterilize the shopping carts, and put a sterilizer at the outlets of payment, while providing gags and gloves, they said that it would cost them sums of money.
They stated that they refuse to enter any customer without masks or gloves, to avoid any financial violations or fines from government agencies.
For his part, Director General of the Department of Economic Development in Ras Al-Khaimah, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Shayeb, told «Emirates Today» that the sales outlets are obligated to provide hand sanitizer at the entrances, according to the precautionary measures to limit the spread of the Corona virus, but they are not obligated to provide gags and gloves Free for customers.
He pointed out that it is forbidden for the sales outlets to allow the entry of any consumer or customer, without wearing masks and gloves.
He explained that if the sales outlets allowed anyone to enter without wearing gags and gloves, an alarm would be issued to them, and they would be violated if the violation was repeated for the second time, until the facility is closed when the violation is repeated for the third time.