Coronavirus: Abu Dhabi brings in card machines in taxis, as Dubai Metro stations reopen

Three closed stations in Al Ras and Naif districts were open on Wednesday

Plastic dividers and card machine payments are being rolled out more widely as a response to the Covid-19 outbreak. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office

Abu Dhabi has introduced card machines in taxis to reduce the handling of cash.

The publicly owned cab fleet will also feature plastic dividers to separate the driver and passengers as part of efforts to tackle the coronavirus.

Contactless cards can be tapped onto the machine through the plastic divider and avoid the need for physical contact.

More than 6,000 taxis in the emirate were being regularly sterilised, Abu Dhabi Government Media Office said, to reduce the chance of the virus spreading.

In Dubai, the city's transport authority reopened three stations that were closed when Al Ras area was placed in quarantine.

Al Ras, Palm Deira, and Baniyas Square on the Green Line were open as of Wednesday morning.

The area was shut off on March 31 amid concerns over the number of suspected Covid-19 cases in its densely populated apartment blocks.

Several hundred cases were eventually detected as a result of testing on about 6,000 people. The area reopened once the authorities said they detected no new cases for several days.

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