Beaches at hotels in Dubai are beginning to reopen after new regulations were announced by the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management on Wednesday.
Private hotel beaches can now reopen, but pools, spas, gyms and fitness facilities will remain closed. Children's clubs will also remain closed at this time.
"Hotels are allowed to reopen their private beaches only to their guests while enforcing stringent preventive measures, the most important of which is mandatory physical distancing between individuals," the committee said in a statement to Wam, the UAE's news agency.
Sofitel Dubai the Palm has reopened its beach from Wednesday, May 13. Social distancing policies are in place according to the hotel’s Instagram.
Five Palm Jumeirah Hotel and Resort has also reopened its beach with access available for all in-house guests and Andaz Dubai The Palm has also confirmed its beach is open.
Anantara Dubai The Palm has reopened its beach and is following social distancing standards. Non-motorised water sports activities are also up and running at the Palm Jumeirah resort.
Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach will reopen for guest bookings from Thursday, May 15. The resort's private beach will reopen on the same date.
Luxury hotel group One&Only Resorts is also preparing to reopen its beaches. Private shorelines at both the One&Only Royal Mirage and One&Only The Palm will open to hotel guests later this week.
Caesars Palace Bluewaters Island said it was in the process of reopening, but at the time of writing had no confirmed date for when beach access would be allowed.
All hotel beaches will open to in-house guests only, and no day-passes can be purchased for access by non-guests.
Strict social distancing rules mean there must be a four-metre distance between two groups of people on beaches or sun loungers.
Swimming pools remain closed and pool decks, bars and shower areas are also closed, as are waterparks attached to or independent of hotels.
Watersports, skydiving and parks reopen
Outdoor activities such as water sports can resume, but life jackets must be disinfected after every use. Boat rental, jet-ski and bike hire are also permitted in open spaces, so long as social distancing rules are followed.
There are also new rules for Dubai’s skydiving facilities to reopen. No tandem dives can take place and divers must wear a face mask up to the point when they are ready to exit the aircraft. Skydive Dubai said that all skydiving activities remain suspended for the month of May.
Public parks are also set to reopen with new rules that do not allow gatherings of more than five people.
