Dubai has announced new precautionary measures for hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and entertainment venues as the city intensifies its fight against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management said the measures will be effective from Tuesday and will run until the end of February.
“Daily reports have shown a marked increase in the number of violations of precautionary measures,” the committee said.
In a release by Dubai Media Office, the committee said that hotels must operate at a maximum 70 percent capacity for the rest of this month, with new bookings complying with the new capacity limit.
#Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management announces new set of precautionary measures against COVID-19
Supreme Committee: Measures taken in response to rise in violations of preventive measures
Measures effective from 2nd February to 28th February 2021 pic.twitter.com/DmIN1ruuob— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 1, 2021
It added that shopping malls must also operate at 70 percent capacity while restaurants and cafes are required to close by 1am while all pubs and bars are to close for the remainder of the month.
A 50 percent reduction in capacity will also be imposed on indoor seated venues including cinemas and entertainment and sports venues while the capacity of swimming pools and private beaches in hotels must be limited to 70 percent of normal capacity.
The committee also said it will introduce tougher penalties for “deliberately disregarding” the measures although it did not immediately say what the penalties would be.
Intensified monitoring and inspection campaigns will be conducted to ensure strict compliance with precautionary measures and safety protocols including physical distancing and wearing of facemasks.
The committee said the commitment of the public in fully complying with precautionary measures and guidelines of authorities is critical to counter the repercussions of the pandemic on public health, the economy and society.
It also encouraged members of the community to report any violations of Covid-19 precautionary measures by individuals or establishments through Dubai Police’s Call Centre 901 or its Police Eye service in the Dubai Police Smart App.
One Dubai venue operator told Arabian Business that the inside table capacity rule would be ok as most customers want to sit outside but added that if the restrictions were still in place in April, some restaurants could be in trouble.
He added that the 1am limit should also be manageable although would hit business on Thursday and Friday nights.
The new restrictions come just over a week after Dubai Tourism suspended live entertainment in hotels and restaurants after hundreds of coronavirus violations of guidelines at venues.
The hospitality industry was sent a circular by Dubai Government’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTM), ordering venues to suspend bands, DJs, dancers and live entertainers performing in hotels and restaurants.
Although new coronavirus cases have dipped slightly since last week, the UAE recently saw successive days of record daily infections edging towards the 4,000 mark.
During the last three weeks, Dubai Tourism have issued more than 200 violations of noncompliance with guidelines and closed down around 20 establishments.
Follow us on
