Dubai restaurants to stop screening dining areas during Ramadan fast

Restaurants in Dubai will not need to cover eating spaces during fasting hours this Ramadan.

Eateries in the Emirates’ largest city will not need to block off customers from the public view during the Islamic holy month, as was the previous policy. Restaurants will also not need to obtain a permit to serve food during fasting times, the state Emirates News Agency reported on Sunday, citing Dubai’s Department of Economic Development.

Muslims typically do not eat in the daytime during the holy month. In Dubai and other other parts of the Muslim world, restaurants that serve food during the day typically cover their dining areas with curtains, newspapers taped to windows and other means. It is common for restaurants to remain open to cater to non-Muslims, even if the staff themselves are fasting.

Ramadan began on Monday.

The move could be aimed at appeasing tourists in Dubai, which has a majority non-Emirati population. The city has been open to visitors since last summer amid the coronavirus pandemic.