Dubai bars and pubs ordered to close until further notice
Comes as video on social media shows people not abiding by social distancing
Dubai: All bars and pubs will stop serving alcohol in Dubai as of Wednesday, June 24, until further notice, Gulf News has learnt.
Dubai’s bars and pubs received a notification from Dubai Police saying that no alcohol can be served until further notice.
“Kindly abide by the decision to close in order to avoid legal issues,” the notification said.
Meanwhile, Dubai Tourism referred Gulf News to the latest COVID-19 rules and information available on their website.
Licensed restaurants are still allowed to serve alcohol with meals.
Reports suggest the move is due to people not complying with COVID-19 preventive measures after a video went viral on social media showing people at a pool party at a local hotel failing to abide by social distancing rules.
Gulf News reached out to the hotel in question and got the following response from a hotel spokesperson.
“Dubai is safe and people feel safe in Dubai. After a lockdown, its only human to want more interaction and to reconnect with others. In order to keep a safe and healthy environment for our guests, we have worked with the authorities in adopting further controls to ensure social distancing measures are respected. We have created a team of social distancing monitors that will be present in all of our key venues to continuously remind people to maintain their social distance. These are global challenges that exist in this unprecedented situation. The positive in this is that people are feeling very safe and secure in Dubai. We look forward to international tourism starting and welcoming guests to the safe environment that the emirate provides after 7 July.”