Dubai returns to work and reopens gyms and cinemas
▶ Authorities also said that 50 per cent of staff can now work from office
Dubai yesterday announced details of the easing of restrictions as the emirate plans to reopen some business activities after the Eid holidays.
But strict precautionary measures and capacity ceilings stay in place. Dubai Economy said 50 per cent of employees will be allowed to return to offices, up from the previous cap of 30 per cent. Malls can stay open from 6am until 10pm with occupancy limited to 70 per cent, up from 30 per cent.
Restrictions remain for those in high-risk categories, including children under 12 and adults over 60. At the workplace, all employees must wear a face mask and maintain a distance of two metres between workstations.
Dubai Sports Council also listed a series of guidelines that gyms and sports clubs must follow, including a 50 per cent capacity ceiling.
Cinemas can welcome guests up to 30 per cent of their overall capacity while adhering to distancing norms. They are also required to offer contactless payments, check everyone’s temperature and ensure hand sanitisers and face masks are used.
Training institutes will also be allowed to open at 50 per cent of their capacity.
The UAE reported 779 new coronavirus cases yesterday, taking the country’s total to 31,086.
An additional 28,000 tests were carried out. A further 325 people had fully recovered and five more patients died after contracting the virus.
Dubai’s relaxations were announced as Saudi Arabia also prepares to ease its two-month restrictions on movement and travel tomorrow.
The relaxed measures will be introduced in three phases, culminating in the curfew completely ending – with the exception of the holy city of Makkah – from June 21, the state news agency reported yesterday.
Up to half of staff at Dubai companies will be allowed to return to their workplace from today after the authorities eased coronavirus restrictions.
Dubai Economy said 50 per cent of employees could be in an office at any one time – up from 30 per cent.
The regulator said stores and retailers can have 70 per cent of staff on duty, also up from an earlier limit of 30 per cent.
Officials repeated the need for masks to be worn indoors and for workstations to be two metres apart.
A document titled Reopening Dubai repeated the announcement by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, that gyms, cinemas and other entertainment venues could reopen with certain restrictions.
Children under 12 and adults over 60 remain restricted from entering malls or supermarkets. One concession allows young people to visit hairdressers outside malls – if the salon caters solely for children.
Salons for adults can operate at 50 per cent of their usual capacity, as long as that complies with social distancing rules.
Malls can open any time between 6am and 10pm. Limited valet parking is also now allowed.
Gyms
Gyms said they were gearing up to welcome customers back for the first time in more than 10 weeks. Dubai Sports Council listed a series of rules that gyms and sports clubs must follow.
These include reopening at 50 per cent of capacity and ensuring masks are worn during light or moderate physical activity.
Masks can, however, be briefly lowered if someone undertakes “strenuous physical exercise”. Partitions must also be put in place between exercise equipment.
Children under 12 and anyone above the age of 60 is not permitted to enter.
A continuous cleaning programme should run in all areas, and changing rooms and showers must not be open.
“Things will look a bit different around here, but our heart is still the same and you will leave with the same sense of satisfaction, awesomeness and joy as you did before,” Fitness First said in a message to members. The chain also shared a list of restrictions, which include limiting members’ time to an hour.
Cinemas
Cinemas were instructed to check everyone’s temperature before entry and ensure the use of hand sanitisers and face masks.
The guidelines include strict social distancing to ensure a two-metre separation between customers, both in queues and inside the cinema itself, although families of up to four can sit together.
Seating capacity will be limited to 30 per cent.
Tickets will be available for online purchase and contactless payment should be encouraged at the counter.
Children under the age of 12 and adults over 60 will not be allowed to enter, and cinemagoers could be required to show their Emirates ID to provide proof if there is any doubt.
A spokeswoman for Majid Al Futtaim said Vox Cinemas, Ski Dubai, Dreamscape and Magic Planet would all open today.
She said fogging machines were being used to disinfect large areas and staff would sanitise surfaces regularly. Other measures include the introduction of “safety ambassadors” to ensure social distancing is maintained.
Cameron Mitchell, chief executive of Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas, added that to “address any concerns that people may have, we have designed an extensive range of new measures to ensure a healthy, safe and comfortable experience for all”.
Numbers in public areas such as bathrooms and elevators will also be limited, among other measures to ensure the safety of the public.
Cinemagoers must wear masks at all times.
Night classes
Schools and universities will remain closed to pupils and students and run e-learning programmes until at least September.
But from today, a limited number of training institutes will be allowed to open as part of a trial.
Dubai education regulator KHDA said this includes professional training courses, computer and language schools and centres running classes in fine arts, calligraphy, music, dance, sculpture and drawing.
As with other activities, seats must be kept far enough apart, masks must be worn and any food and drink sold on site must be in disposable containers.
Nurseries, summer camps and centres for people with special needs all remain closed.
Neena Raina is co-founder at Tender Hearts Arena, which hosts recreational events for pupils with special needs.
She said that even when official permission to open is given by the authorities, she will be cautious about welcoming pupils back.
“Cases are still rising across the globe and I don’t think we will ask our children to come back until we are completely certain,” she said.
“We are taking the news positively and will have an online meeting to discuss the next steps forward.
“People are still afraid and we are yet to find out if parents would want to send their children to a centre, because many of them use buses.”
Among the leisure facilities to remain closed are public beaches, and gyms and pools inside residential buildings.
Abu Dhabi is also gradually relaxing restrictions.
Earlier this week, the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi set out a list of rules that hotel restaurants, lounges, bars, beaches, pools and gyms must meet before they can resume operations.