The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, ADDED, has announced the issuance of a new circular allowing licensed facilities across Abu Dhabi to resume their valet parking services.

The Department had ordered the temporary suspension of this service following the preventive and precautionary measures issued by the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, NCEMA, to contain the spread of the coronavirus, COVID-19.

The circular was the latest in a series of decisions released by ADDED to gradually reopen businesses with more lenient precautionary health and safety protocols, which have been put in place to ensure continuous protection of the local communities from the virus. The latest directive is also part of the Department’s move to guarantee that the private sector entities properly and safely restart their economic and commercial activities in the emirate.

ADDED is working towards the gradual lifting of business restrictions imposed over the past few months to allow companies in Abu Dhabi to operate anew. The new move also highlighted the Department’s support for the fast recovery of the services sector, which is considered a priority industry that benefits local society and helps drive the local economy.

The Department noted that many shopping malls, hotels, resorts, companies and government entities, among others, provide valet parking services to their visitors and customers as part of their offerings, in line with Abu Dhabi’s efforts to deliver the highest standard of customer services.

According to the newly issued circular, the owners and managers of these facilities should strictly abide by the set preventive measures, including making hand sanitizers available in frequently visited areas, public spots and payment centres within their premises. The valet employees, as per the circular, are also mandated to wash and sanitize their hands after parking each car.

In addition, the circular instructed all concerned facilities to urge its customers to use electronic payment methods, whenever possible, and make sure that their employees and customers always maintain a distance of two meters from each other. It also directed them to place signs in crucial areas reminding everyone about social distancing. Other measures that they should comply include conducting COVID-19 tests for all their valet workers; regular checking of their body temperature throughout the day; training them about proper application of the precautionary measures; ensuring that they wear masks and gloves, which should be replaced regularly throughout the day, at all times; and covering the seats and steering wheels before parking the vehicles.

In order to protect the service beneficiaries in Abu Dhabi, the circular directed the necessity to measure the visitors' temperatures before receiving the car, the facilities have the right not to provide the valet parking services in case the visitors or customers show any COVID-19 symptoms.

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