Let me start this off by saying that the only bias I have towards Dubai is that I’ve lived, worked and raised a family here for 22 years. I am not an employee of the Dubai Tourism Board or the Dubai Government for that matter but just a happy resident living in what I consider to be one of the best places in the world. As other countries go into severe lockdown (again), Dubai finds itself enjoying levels of freedom only dreamed of in parts of Europe, Asia and North America.
When I received my vaccine last Saturday, the entire process took less than an hour from the moment l left my house to smugly admiring my freshly stamped vaccination card as I exited the building. I immediately went to the baseball field and coached a two-hour baseball session, followed by playing my own game for 2 and a half hours. It made me realize how fortunate I am to be living in such a progressive and efficient place.
I feel sorry for my friends and family in the rest of the southern hemisphere as they return to restrictive lockdown measures after Covid 19 cases continue to surge. We all thought we had turned the corner on this thing now that several vaccines have been approved, but sadly this is not the case. Due to a fatal combination of socially irresponsible citizens and poor leadership, many societies around the world have had to return to even more restrictive lockdown measures…, but this is not the case in Dubai.
So how has the emirate managed to avoid the worst of the crisis? Well firstly, the UAE took a very proactive and hard stance on Covid early on and the city was under strict lockdown conditions in March. Following a carefully controlled lockdown and meticulous sterilisation programme, residents and citizens are now able to cautiously resume normal living. As gyms, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events gradually reopened, we took things very carefully and responsibly.
Dubai is now fully open for business and more importantly partially open for sporting activities. The government recently allowed 30 per cent capacity of fans at all professional and amateur sporting events, enabling athletes and fans to enjoy competitive sport once again. I attended the DP World Tour Championship at the Jumeriah Golf Estates , organised by the Dubai Government and the PGA European Tour, and the event went off without a glitch.
The pre-event COVID questionnaire, apps and other social distancing practices made the experience enjoyable, and left me comfortable in the belief I could attend without fear of contracting the virus. Of course, I am aware that nothing is foolproof, but my point is that when all the relevant organizations work together, an event can be put on professionally and more importantly safely.
As frustrating as the current lockdown is in the UK and North America, hats off to the governments for allowing sports to continue. In Canada, for example, the government has allowed movement between the provinces for NHL games. The league even set up an all-Canadian Division so that the NHL teams do not have to cross the US boarder to play. That’s a brilliant move for the NHL and the Canadian government. It protects the players and allows a hockey-crazy nation to watch their favourite sport in the dead of the winter in the middle of a pandemic. The winter months in many cold climate places are the most depressing months of the year for some. To have sports back on TV might help combat mental health issues and bring some positive energy back into the world.
Watching and playing sports is so important for our physical and mental wellbeing and it is essential that people have something to look forward to during the winter months. Thankfully football matches will continue, and this is so important, not only for the game but for sponsors as well. We simply cannot go back into a complete standstill of the sports industry; it’s too valuable and there are too many contracts out there for the industry to shut down again. Can you imagine another lockdown in the UK in the winter without football? I can’t.
What Dubai has done and what other countries in my view have failed to do is adapt and instill stricter social distancing rules and regulations so that sports facilities can continue to operate. The government here acts swiftly to accommodate the fluid nature of not just the sporting world but the world of commerce as well.
Golf courses remain as busy as ever,, as do tennis courts, gyms, baseball fields, football fields (both American football and soccer). Cricket pitches are overflowing with players, ice hockey rinks are busy and rugby pitches remain active for all amateur and professional sportsperson alike. Each of the sporting activities has gone through rigorous inspections and regulations. If a gym or facilities fails to follow the guidelines, they get shut down and/or fined. The whole nation does not suffer because of a few irresponsible individuals.