Tuqa Khalid

DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates banned on Tuesday the entry of children under the age of 12 and seniors above the age of 60 to malls, retail shops and supermarkets, as part of the government’s efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, state news agency WAM reported.

The elderly are among the high-risk groups of the population who are susceptible to coronavirus infection, along with patients of chronic diseases and young children, due to the fact that they have weaker immune systems.

There are 15,192 confirmed coronavirus cases in the UAE as of Tuesday, and the death toll stands at 146 fatalities, according to the Ministry of Health.

Many of the fatalities reported in the UAE due to COVID-19 were elderly citizens, suffering from chronic diseases.

Dubai announced on April 22 that it will allow malls to re-open to the public, given that they follow strict guidelines, including operating at only 20 percent capacity, limiting individual visits to three-hours, requiring all visitors to wear face masks at all times and to maintain a two-meter distance from one another.

The UAE’s authorities had shut down on March 23 all malls, shopping centers, commercial centers and open markets except for fish, vegetable and meat markets to slow down the spread of the coronavirus in the country. — Al Arabiya English