Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai

Dubai, Feb 2: Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management, headed by Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum a new set of precautionary measures were issued to prevent the spread of Covid-19 effective February 2 to February 28.

During a meeting chaired by Sheikh Mansoor, the Committee noted that the new decisions are part of a constant evaluation of the evolving Covid-19 situation to ensure all precautionary measures are updated and implemented in line with local, regional and international developments. 

As per reports, an increase in the number of violations of precautionary measures was observed, the Committee added.

The health and wellbeing of the community remain the highest priorities for the leadership, especially in these exceptional circumstances, the Committee stressed, noting that the full cooperation of both institutions and community members is crucial to ensure effective implementation of Dubai’s strategy to curb COVID-19.

The new precautionary measures announced include:

- Audience capacity of seated indoor venues, including cinemas as well as entertainment and sports venues to be reduced to 50 per cent of maximum capacity; enhanced precautionary measures will be stringently enforced.

- Hotel establishments will be required to operate at 70 per cent of total capacity; new bookings should comply with the new capacity limit.

- The number of guests allowed inside swimming pools and private beaches in hotels will be limited to 70 per cent of total capacity.

- Shopping malls will operate at a reduced capacity of 70 per cent.

- Restaurants and cafes will be required to close by 1.00 am. They will also not be allowed to organise any entertainment activities on their premises.

- Pubs/bars will be closed.

- 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 maintained that the new decisions have been made in response to the current COVID-19 situation. 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.

They also urged the citizens 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. The Supreme Committee also stressed that the penalties will be strictly imposed on violators of the health norms. Inspections will be intensified to ensure compliance with precautionary measures, which continue to be crucial in overcoming the pandemic and protecting the community, especially the most vulnerable sections.