After witnessing a rapid rise in coronavirus cases and Omicron fears, some venues of the multibillion-dollar Dubai Expo will be shut down by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities.
A warning was issued by Dubai’s Expo 2020 regarding the temporary closure of some venues on the site due to coronavirus outbreaks.
However, the organisers have not disclosed the specific localities of the virus hotspots except announcing that the venues will be temporarily closed for deep cleaning and sanitization.
It may be noted here that the multi-billion dollar Dubai Expo had opened in October and is planned to continue by March following a rapid vaccine rollout.
However, the coronavirus cases have skyrocketed in a few weeks including the detection of the Omicron variant. According to the reports, the daily infection toll exceeded 1,840 on Tuesday, the highest in six months.
Emirati authorities have reported few daily hospitalizations and deaths among the UAE’s nearly 10 million people, of which over 90% are fully vaccinated.
Enforcement of virus precautions
Expo tries to enforce various virus precautions, with face masks mandatory on the fairgrounds and a vaccination certificate or recent negative virus test needed for entry, Associated Press reported.
But the highly transmissible omicron variant, which is thought to evade immunity from vaccination, poses a new test.
There have been no visible social distancing requirements at Expo’s massive concerts in recent weeks where revellers have rammed up against each other, waving their hands to the music.
Winter tourism, Christmas, New Year’s Eve
The world’s fair has vaulted into the spotlight with Dubai’s peak winter tourism season in full swing, the world’s fair has vaulted into the spotlight as millions of tourists from around the world are flocking to the sprawling site packed with scores of national pavilions, restaurants, shops and performance stages.
Christmas parades drew crowds last week and Expo is now gearing up for big concerts to attract party-goers on New Year’s Eve.
New Year’s Eve bashes last year in Dubai helped drive a drastic surge in virus cases in the Emirates as tourists escaped lockdowns at home. Infections now hover below those heights but are climbing fast.