Dh3,000 for not wearing a mask: Full list of COVID-19 fines in the UAE

Dubai: With the UAE seeing a rise in the number of daily cases, authorities have urged residents to strictly comply with social distancing and personal health and safety measures, which can be critical in winning the country’s fight against COVID-19.

Not only have health authorities issued regular guidelines on the precautions that need to be taken to stay away from COVID-19, they have also announced strict fines that catch any violations that take place.

The list of fines, issued by the UAE Attorney-General Decision No. 38 of 2020 and amended by Decision No. 58 of 2020, includes the following violations:

Mandatory hospitalisation

1. Violation of infected individuals' refusal of mandatory hospitalisation.

• Refusing mandatory hospitalisation including direct refusal of the prescribed treatment and monitoring, despite notification of their necessity (Designated officers may refer to public authorities to enforce this decision).

Fine: Dh50,000

Quarantine

2. Violations of failing to adhere to home quarantine instructions, including other private quarantine facilities

• Failure to adhere to home quarantine instructions according to the home quarantine manual, failure to undergo re-examinations according to health procedures; or abstaining from implementing instructions.

Fine: Dh50,000

• Failure to comply with quarantine instructions in a private quarantine facility specified by relevant authorities, failure to undergo re-examinations according to health procedures or abstaining from implementing instructions

Fine: Dh50,000

Repeat offenders

• Violating home quarantine procedures under the electronic tracking system by committing any of the following acts:

Abstaining from installing, registering in the smart app, or carrying the smart device for tracking cases of home quarantine; losing, destroying or disrupting the network or the tracking communication.

Fine: Dh10,000, with the violator being charged the value of the electronic device if it is lost or damaged.

• Hacking the application systems or smart electronic devices for tracking quarantine cases. Destroying, deleting, damaging or altering relevant programmes, systems and websites, or illegally obtaining related data or information, or initiating any of these actions.

Fine: Dh20,000, with violator being charged for damages.

• Abstaining, without an acceptable excuse, from informing the call centre about any loss, damage or continuity faults on the electronic smart devices or network within 24 hours.

Fine: Dh10,000

Violations by shops and commercial outlets

3. Violations of commercial entities non-compliance of operating hours and suspension of tourist tours and cruises

• Violation of instructions over the continued closing or opening times of any educational institutions or cinemas, sports facilities, amusement parks, commercial centers, shopping malls, open markets or commercial stores of all types, parks, cafes, restaurants, beaches, sports training centre, public swimming pools and hotel pools or their equivalent or receiving visitors at these places in violation of the instructions set by the relevant authorities in each emirate of the UAE.

Fine: Dh50,000 for whoever is in charge of violating commercial centre and an administrative closure for one month.

Fine: Dh50,000 for the person in charge of the commercial store outside the commercial center.

• Non-commitment to setting up thermal scanners or not complying to the precautionary measures and instructions by the relevant authorities in each of the emirates of the UAE when opening any of the facilities mentioned in the previous provision.

Fine: Dh20,000 to the person in charge of the facility.

Social gatherings

4. Violating restrictions related to public and private gatherings, meetings and celebrations.

• Violations of restrictions of gatherings, meetings and private and public celebrations in public places, private farms or homes.

Fine: Dh10,000 for those who invite or organise gatherings.

Fine: Dh5,000 for each of the participants.

5. Violating the preventive measures related arrivals in the country. Violating measures issued by the Ministry of Health and Prevention regarding persons arriving in the UAE from countries affected by communicable diseases.

Fine: Dh5,000

6. Violations related to failing to take appropriate preventive measures

• Abstaining from taking appropriate health measures in markets excluded from temporary closures.

Fine: Dh3,000 to the owner of the facility

• Refraining from implementing an order to remove any temporary construction, luggage, clothes, and other items, which may have been contaminated by a pathogen and which are possible to be disinfected

Fine: Dh3,000

• Failure of the accredited health laboratories to report information regarding those subjected to an examination or test to the relevant authorities in accordance with the instructions of the relevant health authorities.

Fine: Dh20,000 to the person in charge of the laboratory

• Violating the instructions issued by the authorities concerned in each of the emirates of the UAE regarding the conditions for cleaning and sterilising equipment, devices and machines within the establishments, or equipment and tools that come in contact with food.

Fine: Dh5,000 to the person in charge of the facility

• Violation of instructions or procedures issued by the authorities concerned in each of the emirates of the UAE related to the health and personal hygiene of workers within the establishments or shared residence areas of workers.

Fine: Dh1,000

• Violating the instructions issued by the authorities concerned in each of the emirates of the UAE regarding the use of chemicals (cleaning, sterilisation disinfection and pesticides) or the type of materials used.

Fine: Dh1,000

• Violation of health or preventive instructions issued by the authorities concerned in each of the emirates of the UAE over displaying transporting or storing food, healthcare, veterinary pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, pesticides, or other materials.

Fine: Dh1,000

• Violation of any of the decisions or instructions issued by the concerned authorities in each of the emirates of the UAE aimed to preserve health and safety, and prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

Fine: Dh2,000

• Violation of the provisions of the executive regulations of the Communicable Diseases Law regarding the burial or transfer of the body of any person who died from a communicable disease.

Fine: Dh5,000

Travelling in a car

Exceeding the number of allowed passengers in a vehicle.

• The number of passengers allowed per vehicle exceeds more than three people (vehicle driver and two passengers). (Except for members of the same family or up to second-degree relatives),

Fine: Dh3,000 to the driver of the vehicle

• Using vehicles to transport goods, objects, or other items in contravention of the authorised purpose and in violation of health and safety regulations

Fine: Dh5,000 to the driver of the vehicle along with impoundment of the vehicle for a month.

Social distancing, wearing a face mask

1. Not wearing a medical face mask, fabric mask, or veil when:

• Visiting an indoor public place, shopping mall and in public transport

Fine: Dh3,000

• Walking or jogging in crowded, dense outdoor public places.

Fine: Dh3,000

• Accompanying two or more people in a private vehicle (the driver and one or more than one passengers).

Fine: Dh3,000

• At workplace and shared residence for workers

Fine: Dh5,000 for the person in charge of the company or the facility and Dh500 for the worker.

• Failing to maintain adequate distance from others in public spaces and neglecting social distancing

Fine: Dh3,000 for the violator

• Violation of not taking necessary measures for social distancing or allowing shopping malls or commercial establishments in general, as well as cafes, restaurants, beaches, sports facilities, public pools, hotel pools, or similar facilities to be overcrowded with people.

Fine: Dh50,000 for the person in charge of the administration

• Violation of the preventive conditions or measures, which the relevant authorities in each emirate announce for the maximum number of people practicing sport or leisure activities at outdoor places, private beaches of hotels, while picnicking or gathering at public parks.

Fine: Dh3,000

• Violation of not adhering to the percentage of operations at a facility or company in comparison the number of employees at the facility or the company.

Fine: Dh50,000 for the owner of the company or the facility.

Violation of not disinfecting means of transport

• Not Disinfecting public and private (taxis) vehicles

Fine: Dh5,000 for the person in charge of the company or the facility.

Violation of visiting healthcare facilities in unnecessary situations/for invalid reasons.

• Visiting healthcare facilities in unnecessary situations or invalid reasons according to the guidelines and instructions of the Ministry of Health and Prevention.

Fine: Dh3,000

Refusing to take a medical test or needlessly retesting within two weeks.

• Rejection of taking a medical test upon the order of relevant authorities.

Fine: Dh5,000

• Retaking a laboratory test for COVID-19 at any accredited medical laboratory in the UAE within two weeks without a valid reason.

Fine: Dh1,000

Violation of private tutoring

• Private tutoring through direct contact (physical meeting) at public or private places or at houses (regardless if its free of charge or chargeable) for all educational levels, or allowing to provide tutoring, organising or facilitating it.

Fine: Dh30,000 for whoever provides, facilitates or organises tutoring.

Fine: Dh20,000 for whoever allows or organises tutoring at private places.

Violation of protecting personal data of coronavirus patients, including those who have received treatment or a medical test or examination.

• Compiling, copying, broadcasting, publishing, revealing, transferring or sending medical data or information of patients or those who undergone treatment or medical tests at healthcare authorities, or deleting, damaging, damaging or destroying the data or information.

Fine: Dh20,000

• Failing to comply with standards of security information at public or private healthcare facilities or breaching them.

Fine: Dh5,000

Repeat violators

Repeat violators will be referred to Crisis and Emergency Prosecution and will be subject to a criminal trial for committing a crime under Provision No. 40 of the Federal Law No. 2 of the year 2011 pertaining to the establishment of the National Crisis and Emergency Authority (NCEMA) to be punishable with a term of imprisonment not exceeding 6 months and/or a fine not less than Dh100,000.