On Monday, Sept. 26, the UAE announced that face masks are no longer mandatory in nearly all public indoor spaces after being in effect for more than two years, according to the country’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority. Masks are now only required to be worn in hospitals, on public transport and in places of worship since Sept. 28, NCEMA said, announcing the change in a televised statement.

The long-held mask rule has been central to the UAE’s measures against Covid-19 along with nearly universal vaccinations and rapidly available PCR testing. However, those suspected of infection will still be required to wear a face mask. NCEMA recommends that all people with chronic diseases continue to wear masks.

Amid the dropping of the mask mandate, a few other rules have changed. Vaccinated Abu Dhabi residents — who previously needed to provide a negative PCR every 14 days through the app Al Hosn to enter public vicinities — will no longer need to do that. Instead, they are now required to test every 30 days.

Schools will not require teachers or students to wear masks, but the country’s airlines can choose whether to mandate mask wearing. Social distancing is also no longer a requirement in places of worship and public vicinities. Furthermore, only those who have tested positive for Covid-19 will have to be isolated — which has now been reduced from 10 days to five — not those who have been in close contact with them.

Ever since the pandemic started, everyone in the UAE was required to wear masks in both indoor and outdoor settings. However, these restrictions were eased slightly in February, with no mask requirements for outdoor settings.

Accordingly, Abu Dhabi has been one of the UAE’s strictest emirates in requiring and enforcing mask wearing and mandatory proofs of a negative PCR. In Dubai, mask wearing was needed in public indoor spaces but permitted to be taken off while sitting, eating, drinking and performing physical exercise, with no need for a PCR to enter public establishments.

The UAE is one of the countries with the highest vaccination rates in the world. By November 2021, 100 percent of the eligible population had received the vaccine, one of many positive steps that led to the announcement on Monday.

Due to the enforced measures, Covid-19 infections in the UAE have significantly fallen. September began with nearly 500 daily cases but dropped to just over 300 as of Sept. 26. This is a significant drop, as August saw numbers as high as almost 1,100 and July nearly 1,800. And so, following significant outcomes regarding the number of cases, the UAE will stop publishing the daily tally of Covid-19 cases, a first since March 2020.