CHILDREN’S PLAY AREAS REOPEN WITH EXTRA TLC
Janice Rodrigues discovers the latest on safety measures that have been put in place
After months of closures, family entertainment spaces and children’s soft play areas are reopening with fun new offers and safety precautions in place. Are you a parent relieved at the prospect of a little downtime as the children enjoy themselves? Here The National brings you all the details.
Cheeky Monkeys
For those aged 1 to 8: This edutainment play area has reopened six of its Dubai branches for children to enjoy. It has a 280-square-metre play structure (for those above the age of 4), a life-sized playhouse and more. Branches also feature arts and crafts stations and an indoor play park, so children can let their imaginations run free.
Safety precautions being
taken: The play area is operating at 30 per cent capacity, so it is best to call ahead or make bookings online. Guests can also send a message to its social media pages to speed up entry and reserve a table.
Cheeky Monkeys has stationed full-time sanitisation officers to disinfect its branches. Toilets are also sanitised after every use.
Staff wear masks, with some also wearing face shields. Upon entering the venue, temperatures will be checked, and hands and shoes will have to be sanitised.
Contactless payment is encouraged, and sanitisation stations have been placed throughout.
Cheeky Monkeys has joined up with Prime Medical Centre to install ultraviolet lighting with special bulbs that are designed to kill bacteria and germs. The UV smart lights are turned on when Cheeky Monkeys is closed at night. The company has also invested in sanitisation guns, cold fogging machines and UV wand lighting to better decontaminate its facilities.
As an extra precaution, the ball pits and Monkey Market are closed, and building bricks have been removed.
Branches currently open: JBR, Arabian Ranches 2, Al Barsha, Palm Jumeirah, Downtown Dubai and J3 Mall www.cheekymonkeys.com
Fun City
For those aged 1 to 12: Popular children’s play area Fun City has reopened across the UAE, giving children access to more soft-play areas, video games and other attractions.
Safety precautions being
taken: Dedicated entry and exit points, temperature detection before entry, frequent fever screening of all staff members and mandatory face masks. Fun City also cleans and fumigates its branches on a regular basis.
All top-ups can be done online and contactless payments are accepted. In a bid to further minimise touchpoints, there are no paper tickets – e-tickets will be directly loaded on to customers’ Fun City cards.
Branches currently open in
Dubai: Oasis Mall, Mercato Mall, Ibn Battuta Mall, Century Mall In Sharjah: Safeer Mall In Ajman: Safeer Mall www.funcity.ae; info@funcity.ae
KidZania
For those aged 1 to 16:
This sprawling indoor play area within The Dubai Mall is now open, but operating at a reduced capacity.
Safety precautions being
taken: Mandatory temperature checks, face masks and hand sanitisation upon entry. A distance of two metres must be maintained and stickers have been placed on the ground to indicate where people must stand while queuing.
Online ticket purchases are encouraged and contactless payment is required. Disposable cutlery is used at its food outlets, and disinfection and sanitation routines have been implemented at all touchpoints.
Branches currently open: The Dubai Mall dubai.kidzania.com/en-ae
OliOli
For those aged 1 to 11: This interactive children’s play museum in Dubai is now open and it has launched a selfie wall attraction where children can turn their photos into artworks. Advance booking is mandatory and the venue is operating its summer camp at 30 per cent capacity.
Meanwhile, for parents still uncomfortable about sending their children to public spaces, OliOli is offering “virtual summer adventures”, where children are sent a set of materials and tools, and can participate in a fun, 90-minute Zoom session.
Safety precautions being
taken: OliOli has reduced its capacity to admit only six to eight children every 30 minutes (with a maximum stay of two hours). This ensures that social
distancing guidelines can be easily followed.
Temperature checks are conducted regularly, with the team being screened twice a day. Face masks are mandatory.
Touch-free sanitisers have been placed throughout the museum, and the facility is cleaned once every two hours. Online booking is mandatory.
OliOli also has a summer camp programme that takes in only six children per group and limits the number of groups to two. The camps are held in two separate rooms, which are inaccessible to regular visitors. These rooms are sanitised several times a day by the housekeeping team.
There is a dedicated team for each camp – and its members have no other museum responsibilities, to avoid the risk of cross contamination.
Al Quoz 1 www.olioli.ae
Splash ‘n’ Party
For those aged 1 to 12: Children can beat the summer heat with a splash at this aqua park’s two branches in Dubai.
Safety precautions being
taken: There are mandatory temperature checks in place and those showing symptoms of infection will be taken to an isolation zone. Visitors with underlying medical conditions, respiratory illness or chronic diseases are not allowed in.
All guests have to wear a mask, including children, who can remove them only while playing or during swim time. Staff also wear masks or face shields.
Guests have to bring their own towels and social distancing must be followed at all times – even in the water. Children must be supervised by an adult.
Food outlets in the water park are open and contactless payment is encouraged.