Permit for shops, cafes to operate 24 hrs to be cancelled tomorrow

Ministry of Economic Development has made the decision to temporarily cancel, with effect from tomorrow, the permits for shops and cafes that allow them to operate 24 hours.

The announcement by the Ministry states that this decision was made following the Cabinet’s decision to take action to combat the recent upsurge in societal problems.

From tomorrow onwards, authorised opening hours for shops are from 5:00am till 11:00pm, and that for cafes are from 4:30am till 1:00am.

The Ministry decided last Thursday that no shop or cafe will be permitted to operate 24 hours. It also requested for the advice of Local Government Authority (LGA) on ways to handle the permits issued in the past.

Other decisions made by the Cabinet to address societal problems include random vehicle checks by Maldives Police Service, and conducting safety and awareness programs.