Coronavirus: Dubai reopens more activities, ends mall ban for elderly, children

Dubai will lift the ban on the entry of elderly citizens above the age of 60 and children under the age of 12 to malls, swimming pools, beaches, public parks, some cinemas and other public facilities starting from June 18, as part of the emirate’s easing of coronavirus restrictions, according to the Dubai Media Office (DMO).

The aforementioned senior citizens and children within the age limit must strictly follow coronavirus precautionary measures such as wearing masks or face coverings, avoiding crowded areas and practicing social distancing.

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Dubai will also resume a new set of economic activities and services effective Thursday June 18, as part of the emirate’s gradual “return to normalcy.”

Read: Dubai on way to recovery, coronavirus infections rate in past 3 weeks down: Official

“Services and activities that will be resumed include public libraries, private museums and art galleries, home services such as those providing healthcare services to elderly people and people of determination, home beauty services, and elective surgical procedures lasting more than two and a half hours,” DMO said in a statement.

“Other activities and facilities that have been permitted to resume under the condition that strict precautionary measures will be followed include: outdoor tourism and fitness activities such as camping; swimming pools; fitness centers, water sports, water parks, interactive water activities, 3D and 4D cinema halls, and children’s sports and play areas at public parks and beaches.”

Starting from May 27, when Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed shortened curfew, eased some restrictions on activities and allowed the resumption of businesses, the emirate has been increasingly re-opening.

Since then, the emirate continued re-opening including: allowing shopping malls and private sector businesses to operate at fully capacity, reopening of pools and resumption of water sports activities, and allowing 100 percent of public sector employees to return to work in their offices.

Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management said its decision to re-open more activities was “aimed at meeting the needs of the community and easing earlier restrictions enforced to combat COVID-19.”

The committee also highlighted that the speed with which Dubai tackled the coronavirus crisis, including ramping up COVID-19 screening, isolating confirmed and suspected cases, and raising the capacity of the health sector’s ability to handle coronavirus cases boosted the emirate’s ability to effectively handle all potential scenarios.

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