DUBAI, UAE – Dubai is breaking away from a long-running requirement for restaurants to be covered by curtains during the day during Ramadan to protect food from fasting people.
The measure, announced on Sunday by the State Development Department of the city-state, is the latest change aimed at stimulating tourism in the autocratic-ruled Muslim nation.
“Restaurants will be allowed to serve customers without providing curtains, dividers or facades, as was previously mandatory,” the WAM news agency said. “The new circular replaces the circulars issued in previous years that required restaurants to block dining areas from the sight of those who fast.”
Also, the new rules do not require restaurants to obtain special permits to serve food during daylight hours.
During Ramadan, Muslims who observe the holy moon refrain from eating and drinking – even water – during the day. Muslims traditionally break Ramadan during the day with the first sips of water and their evening meal, called iftar.
Of the Arab states in the Gulf, which host large, non-Muslim expatriate populations, most require the raising of curtains to block the view of food from those who fast. Eating and drinking in public could also lead to fines and legal issues.
Dubai, one of the seven sheikhs of the United Arab Emirates, has long been a tourist destination for those who want beaches, shopping and parties in this skyscraper city. However, Ramadan has always been a slower period due to its restrictions.
In recent years, hoping to boost tourism, as Ramadan will be marked in its crucial winter months, Dubai has begun to change. In 2016, Dubai weakened the rules banning daytime alcohol sales.