Staff Report

Dubai residents who step out for an emergency or for running an allowed errand must retain valid proof of such activity, like hospital bills and grocery shopping receipts, to be able to get their fines reviewed later, Dubai Police has said.

Dubai residents have to #StayHome for the next two weeks as authorities carry out a round-the-clock sterilisation programme to combat the spread of Covid-19. The Dubai Police on Sunday warned that radars will be used to identify motorists violating movement restrictions throughout the emirate.

Responding to queries on social media, the police said residents can step out only for buying essentials or medicines, or for jobs in vital sectors.

A netizen asked what residents can do if flashed by a radar despite stepping out for the reasons specified. The police said that they needed to “present proof” that they were out of their homes for a genuine reason “when stopped by a police patrol or detected by a radar”.

Some residents said that they were flashed by radars on Sunday as they stepped out. A.B., a Dubai resident, said: “I was in Abu Dhabi yesterday night when news about Dubai’s 24-hour sterilisation scheme broke. Today morning, as I returned to my home in Bur Dubai, I noticed a couple of radar flashes.”