Coronavirus: police hand out more than 10,000 fines in Bur Dubai

Offences included failing to wear a mask and not adhering to social distancing rules

Dubai Police conduct regular inspections to ensure everyone is following coronavirus rules. Reem Mohammed / The National

Police in Bur Dubai handed out 10,745 fines to people breaking Covid-19 rules in the past seven months.

Offences included failing to wear a mask in public, not adhering to social distancing and ignoring venue capacity rules.

The fines were issued between November and May.

“These [breaches] were issued while monitoring three designated areas in Bur Dubai,” said director of Bur Dubai Police Station, Brig Abdullah Al Sorour.

“All [those who break the rules] are subjected to penalties as per the UAE Attorney General’s resolution.”

Brig Al Sorour urged everyone to comply with safety measures.

The UAE introduced rules early on in the pandemic. These regulations, along with one of the world's fastest vaccination drives, have helped the country to control the virus.

In March, Dubai's Naif community was locked down for four weeks to help curb the spread of Covid-19.

Life in Naif returns to normal – in pictures 

On April 26, it will be one year since the Covid-19 lockdown in Naif, one of Dubai's oldest districts, was lifted. 'The National' visited the neighbourhood to see how residents and businesses are faring. All photos by Pawan Singh / The National

Residents were under strict stay-home orders from March 31 until April 26 of last year to control the spread of Covid-19. Authorities carried out mass testing and a sanitisation operation in the area

Shop owners said their businesses would pick up once more tourists start visiting the area. Naif is one of the oldest commercial districts of Dubai and used to be packed with tourists before the pandemic

Now, the streets mostly consist of local residents

Fawaz Bello, from Nigeria, was one of the thousands of people affected by the lockdown last year. He lives and works in the area and said life is slowly returning to normal for him

Businesses that have been operating for a long time in Naif are fairing well through a loyal local customer base. The Khan Shoes Repairing and Polishing store has been in the area since 1971. Amanullah Khan, pictured, said they are managing to keep their business afloat through long-time local customers who support them

However, newer businesses in the area are waiting for a tourist influx to increase sales. Moidu Parlat bought his shop four months ago and is trying hard to make ends meet, as business is slow

Across the road from streets packed with hundreds of shops, there is a waterway in Naif where large dhow and small abra owners operate their businesses. Owners of dhows are attracting customers with attractive deals on dinner cruises

Another large dhow in Naif

Small boat owners, however, are still trying to get back on their feet. Mohammed Akram is seen here waiting for customers who would want to use his boat for a sightseeing trip