Covid-19: Cinemas ordered to close in Abu Dhabi

Cinemas in Abu Dhabi have been ordered to temporarily close from Friday, February 5, Vox Cinemas announced.

“In compliance with the government-mandated closure of cinemas in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, Vox Cinemas will be temporarily closed from Friday, 5 February until further notice,” it said in a message on Instagram.

“We will be back soon so please stay tuned for updates on reopening.”

 

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The announcement comes after the UAE has seen a spike in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks. On Friday, the country reported 3,251 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the UAE to 320,126.

The health ministry also announced 14 deaths due to Covid-19 complications, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 902.

It reported that an additional 3,860 individuals had fully recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 297,040.

Last week, Dubai also tightened precautionary measures in the emirate, including reducing the audience capacity of seated indoor venues, including cinemas, entertainment and sports venues to 50 per cent of maximum capacity.

It also ordered hotels and malls to operate at 70 per cent of total capacity, with pubs and bars closed down.

Read: Dubai announces new Covid-19 restrictions: Mall capacity reduced, bars closed

Meanwhile the UAE also announced on Friday that it has administered more than 4.008 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines and achieved a distribution rate of 40.53 doses per every 100 people.