Work in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) has been suspended for three days following the death of the country’s president, Sheikh Khalifa.
UAE schools also to close
Staff in the private and public sectors will return to work on Tuesday (17 May), state news agency Wam has reported.
Schools will remain closed on Monday, May 16, after the Saturday-Sunday weekend, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) confirmed.
News of the 73-year-old’s death was announced on the afternoon of Friday, 13 May, by the country’s Ministry of Presidential Affairs.
Sheikh Khalifa had been the president of the UAE, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi and the supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces since 2004.
Honouring Sheikh Khalifa
There is now an official mourning period of 40 days when flags will fly at half mast.
For more information on how this affects events and meetings, follow our ongoing news story here.
Across the design community, a number of launches and showroom reveals have already been cancelled as a mark of respect to the late president, whose name honours the tallest tower in the world, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.
