Dubai Police confirm beach-goers can be fined for not wearing a mask
More than 300 fines were issued since beaches reopened…
On Thursday May 28, Dubai Municipality confirmed that public beaches at JBR, Jumeirah, Al Mamzar and Umm Suqiem would reopen for all ages. After months of restriction, many residents couldn’t wait to get back outside for some sun, sea and sand.
Despite a relaxation of the rules, all social distancing regulations remain in place, and Dubai Police are patrolling regularly to ensure that they are followed. On Friday June 5 alone, no less than 221 fines were issued at the beach, and 316 since the reopening.
These fines were mainly issued for not following social distancing rules and failing to wear masks, a police official confirmed. The fine for these rule breaks is Dhs3,000.
Colonel Saeed Al Madhani, Director of Ports Police Station in Dubai said: ““Many Dubai beaches witnessed thousands of beach-goers since easing the measures. We noticed many of them insist to sit near the beaches’ facilities without adhering to safe distancing. The majority of the [fines issued] were for not wearing face masks and failing to maintain a safe distance between each other.”
Check this guide for clarity on when you should and shouldn’t wear a face mask while out in public. It mentions that masks do not need to be worn while swimming, so while at the beach you should keep it on until you get into the sea.
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Private beaches seem to have alternative regulations. Hotel beaches must have their sun beds spaced out two metres apart, so you can remove your mask while on your personal sun lounger.
Police patrol and drones are deployed regularly to ensure beach-goers are aware of and following the rules. Al Madhani said: “People who did not respond to warnings in the first few days were fined.”
