Photo: Ryan Stone/Unsplash
Dubai residents now have clarity on dog walking guidelines under the new permit scheme announced by the UAE police. Under the new rules, those caught walking pets could receive an on-the-spot penalty or official warning. This comes after tighter restrictions on travel were issued this week. On April 5, the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management announced that all journeys outside of the home would require official approval. “Individuals are not allowed to leave the house except for essential purposes or if they are working in vital sectors during the The National Sterilisation Programme. #StayHome.”
The amount of AED 3,000 was confirmed earlier in March by the UAE attorney general as the official fine to be issued to anyone leaving home for non-essential reasons but pet owners caught breaking the rules could be issued the fine or warning by patrolling police cars and the fine amount would be at the discretion the officers.
The dxbpermit.gov.ae website states that permits will be issued “for emergencies” only which include essential work duties, medical appointments and shopping for grocery and medical supplies to approved supermarkets and pharmacies.This was emphasised in a statement by Brigadier Saif Muheir Al Mazrouei, Director of the General Traffic Department at Dubai Police where he commented, “People need to understand that going out must be for only an absolute necessity.”
In a direct response to online queries from the public and news outlets, Dubai Police confirmed that dog walking was in fact forbidden and not classed as an essential reason to leave home.
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