Dubai Restaurants Offer Discounts for COVID-19 Vaccinated Diners

Dubai restaurants have begun offering discounts to customers who have been inoculated against coronavirus, amid a vaccination drive as the emirate seeks to fight the pandemic without closing its doors.

The UAE said it has already vaccinated some 2.5 million of its population of about 10 million.

“Spread love, not Rona,” say social media fliers for three restaurants run by Gates Hospitality, offerings a 10 percent discount to residents who have taken the first dose of a vaccine and 20 percent for those who have taken two.

Diners must show proof of inoculation, such as a medical certificate, to get the discount, AFP reported.

The UAE, made up of seven emirates including Dubai, began mass inoculations in December after approving vaccines made by Chinese firm Sinopharm and US drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.

Dubai’s health authority said this week it would have to scale back on vaccinations after Pfizer announced shipment delays due to works at its key plant in Belgium. The Sinopharm vaccine is still freely available.

Over the weekend the guidelines were tightened, with the number of people allowed at social gatherings slashed from 200 to 10, and restaurants and cafes ordered to increase spacing between tables from two meters to three.

The emirate has also suspended non-essential surgery in hospitals after a surge in COVID-19 infections.