Beaches, restaurants and parks: where you can take children in Dubai
This is welcome news for families in Dubai…
While Dubai has slowly begun to reopen its restaurants and malls, many facilities have remained closed to children under 12, and people aged 60 and over.
On Thursday night, Dubai Municipality announced that public beaches at JBR, Jumeirah, Al Mamzar and Umm Suqiem would reopen for all ages.
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Over the weekend, however, there were reports of families being turned away at JBR, as the beach must be accessed via the retail strip, which is still closed to children and the elderly.
According to an email circulated to The Beach JBR retailers, “Children below the age of 12 years old are permitted in The Beach JBR common areas in order to have access to the public beach only.”
“Children below the age of 12 years old and elderly over the age of 60 years old are not permitted in F&B, Retail, Pharmacy, Supermarket or Optical Shops within The Beach JBR.”
However, it seems security guards haven’t been allowing children under 12 to enter JBR beach via the retail zone, which led to confusion and disappointment for many.
On Saturday afternoon, families reported being able to access the beach via the entrance near Roxy Cinema.
At Kite Beach, children and over 60s are allowed onto the beach between 7am and 7pm, so long as they stay away from the retail section.
All beach goers must practise social distancing, and face masks must be worn at all times, except when in the water.
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Restaurants
On Friday, restrictions on restaurants were also lifted. Children and people aged 60 and over are now permitted to dine in restaurants in hotels and outside of malls. The ban still applies to restaurants within malls.
Allowing children is at the discretion of the individual restaurant, so it’s worth checking in advance to see if your favourite eatery is welcoming little ones.
For now, some Dubai restaurants are not allowing children under the age of three, so be sure to call ahead to check.
Parks
As of Friday May 29, all major parks in Dubai, and the Dubai Frame in Zabeel Park, have reopened.
According to Dubai Municipality, children under the age of 12 and adults above 60 are allowed to visit the parks. A face mask and gloves must be worn at all times.
Images: Supplied/Getty