Authorities in Abu Dhabi will intensify inspections in malls and markets to ensure retailers and shoppers abide by Covid-19 safety rules.
The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) said on Wednesday that inspections will continue throughout Ramadan and Eid.
Daily inspections will start from 1pm to 6pm and again from 8pm to 1am.
The inspections will be carried out in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
Officials will also inspect markets selling fruits and vegetables, livestock and cattle.
Rashid Abdulkarim Al Blooshi, undersecretary of ADDED, said officials will monitor prices and quality, and urged people to shop online to avoid overcrowding at malls.
Mr Rabie Al Hajri, acting executive director of the Abu Dhabi Business Centre, said shops should follow official guidelines on the number of customers allowed in-store at any one time. Security personnel should also monitor shoppers at checkout counters, plus entry and exit points.
In an increased bid to increase awareness, loudspeakers will be used to announce safety rules and all malls and markets will be connected to a monitoring room, to ensure all protocols are being followed.
Inspections to eradicate fake and counterfeit products will also be made.
Shoppers can visit added.gov.ae to check set prices of certain food items for Ramadan.
Ramadan 2021 in the UAE - in pictures
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Ramadan decorations go up in Sustainable City, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Morning prayers on the first day of Ramadan in the UAE at the Al Salam Masjid in Al Barsha, Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Worshippers pray at the Al Salam Masjid in Al Barsha, Dubai, on the first day of Ramadan. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Morning prayers take place on the first day of Ramadan at the Al Salam Masjid in Al Barsha, Dubai, UAE. Antonie Robertson / The National -
The sun sets over a mosque on the last evening before Ramadan in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
A gentleman puts up Ramadan lights in Sustainable City, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Ramadan decorations at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower, is silhouetted in the background of a mosque's minaret in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, ahead of Ramadan. AFP -
Ramadan decorations at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
People shopping for Ramadan at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Emirati youths walk past a large lit decoration in the shape of a crescent moon bearing calligraphic text in Arabic reading "Ramadan Mubarak", at the City Walk district of Dubai at the start of the first night of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. AFP -
A view of a decoration showing a crescent moon inlaid inside a five-pointed star bearing calligraphic text in Arabic reading "Ramadan Mubarak", placed along a fence in the City Walk district of Dubai, with the Burj Khalikfa skyscraper in the background. AFP -
A vendor sets up a display at a spice shop at a market in Dubai in the UAE for Ramadan. AFP -
A vendor sets up a display at a spice shop at a market in Dubai in the UAE for Ramadan. AFP -
People shop at a supermarket in Dubai in the UAE shop to prepare for Ramadan. AFP -
A view of decorations shaped as animals put in place in the Seef district of Dubai for Ramadan. AFP -
Ramadan decorations outside a house in Dubai. April 13, 2021. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
A cannon is fired at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, to mark the beginning of iftar in 2021. Victor Besa / The National -
A cannon is loaded in preparation of firing to notify the end of the fast near the Burj Khalifa in Dubai on the first day of Ramadan, April 13, 2021. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
A man prepares a cannon to fire near the Burj Khalifa in Dubai on the first day of Ramadan to break the fast. Tuesday, April 13, 2021. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
A cannon fires near the Burj Khalifa in Dubai on the first day of Ramadan to break the fast. Tuesday, April 13, 2021. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Evening prayer at the end of the first day of fasting of the holy month of Ramadan in the UAE at the Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque. Antonie Robertson / The National
