Dubai set to open drive-in cinema

After the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that coronavirus may never go away and we will have to learn to live with it, Dubai came up with a solution to entertain people amid the pandemic crisis. People in Dubai will soon be able to watch films on the big screen but only from their own cars at a new drive-in cinema created on the roof of one of the world’s largest shopping malls.

With social distancing essential in the United Arab Emirates to control the spread of the virus, VOX Cinemas says that only two viewers per car will be allowed at the open-air venue, which opens on Sunday and can accommodate up to 75 cars at a time. Tickets cost 180 dirhams ($50) per vehicle inclusive of popcorn, snacks and drinks.

Dubai, the UAE’s business and tourism hub, has been easing coronavirus restrictions since the Ramzan began three weeks ago, allowing malls and dine-in restaurants to reopen at limited capacity.

However, children aged 3-12 and people over 60 are still barred from such venues, including the outdoor cinema, which sits on the roof of Majid Al Futtaim’s Mall of the Emirates. The screen stands under the peak of the mall’s indoor ski slope.

Dubai, a major shopping and entertainment destination, has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic due to travel troubles and closures to curb the spread of the disease.

The UAE has so far recorded 20,386 coronavirus infections and 206 deaths.