Covid-19: Dubai Sports Council closes 3 centres, fines 6 more

The Dubai Sports Council (DSC) and Dubai Economy have confirmed that they have closed three facilities and fined another 6 as a result of these centres flouting the prescribed guidelines to prevent the transmission of the Covid-19 virus.

Three facilities – a rented playground, a swimming pool at a sports club and a sports academy – have been shut down until they comply with all the measures.

Inspection teams from DSC and the Dubai Economy visited 124 sports facilities and five sports events in the emirate between September 15-19 to monitor compliance with health and safety protocols.

During these visits, it also issued 35 warnings.

The Dubai Sports Council and “Dubai Economy” have taken action against 9 sports facilities for their failure to comply with COVID 19 Safety regulations and protocols.
Three of those facilities have been shut down untill they comply with all safety regulations, pic.twitter.com/12cLUym0jq

— Dubai Sports Council (@DubaiSC) September 20, 2020

The violations observed at some of these facilities included overcrowding, gathering in the waiting areas, failure to wear masks, and not checking the temperature of all visitors and staff.

The Dubai Sports Council has already listed a set of mandatory measures that clubs, academies, sports and fitness centres in Dubai must adhere to including regular cleaning and sanitisation of facilities, displaying public awareness signages prominently in common areas and maintaining full records of their members including the days they visited and their contact details so that the authorities can reach out to them in case they need to trace individuals who have come into contact with infected people.

DSC and Dubai Economy have said that they will intensify their inspection programmes to ensure full compliance.

On Sunday, September 21, the Ministry of Health and Prevention confirmed 674 new Covid-19 cases raising the total infection count to 84,916.

Read: GCC Covid-19 update: UAE registers 674 cases; 1,722 infections confirmed in Oman

It also reported 761 recoveries, scaling the overall number of recoveries up to 74,273.