Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) has conducted a disinfection programme across all its facilities covering around 3.3 million square metres to enable over 8,000 companies to resume full operations at the free zone.
A statement from Jafza said that the area covered by the massive internal fumigation and disinfection drive of buildings and premises in the free zone is equivalent to 462 football fields. The programme to limit the spread of Covid-19 at the free zone started in March and has been going on continuously since then, covering all office and accommodation buildings, security gates and commercial centres, as well as the roads in Jafza that stretch more than 35km.
Jafza also said that with the return of staff, it has implemented comprehensive policies and guidelines for safety – such as executing complete disinfection and sanitisation programmes for all equipment, vehicles, offices and other physical assets. Isolation rooms have been identified, and all processes and procedures are in line with DHA guidelines for dealing with such cases. All Covid-related essentials, such as identification of symptoms, emergency numbers, awareness and instructions, will be conveyed through desktop displays, emails, text messages, notices and flyers. The free zone authority added that it aims to sustain business continuity and facilitate resumption of essential operations with the measures.
Mohammed Al Muallem, CEO and managing director, DP World, UAE Region, and CEO of Jafza, said: “As the world is working to cope with Covid-19, Dubai will play a pivotal role in the post-pandemic economy recovery thanks to its state-of-the-art infrastructure, effective resilience strategies and its ability to efficiently deal with all circumstances. In line with the Dubai government’s directives for private sector businesses to operate at 100% capacity while Dubai government employees would fully resume working at their offices from June 14, we are ready for the immediate return of Jafza companies to pursue normal operations.
“We will continue to implement the highest precautionary measures and full inspections aiming to protect the health and safety of all our employees and partners. We’re also working closely with all companies in Jafza to continuously raise awareness about the required measures which will keep their staff and customers safe in compliance with the directives of the competent authorities in Dubai and the UAE.
“The safety of our community is our top priority because people are our most valuable asset. Over the months, we have implemented a resolute action plan. The measures we implemented have enabled our companies to continue their services and facilitated essential trade flowing in the midst of the global pandemic, while adhering to the requirements of the UAE government, Dubai Health Authority and the World Health Organization.”
Jafza is home to many well-reputed global companies, including over 100 of the Global Fortune 500 enterprises, and has attracted 23.9 per cent of Dubai’s foreign direct investment (FDI), sustaining more than 135,000 jobs.
