All bars, pubs and lounges in Dubai have been ordered to close “with immediate effect” from Monday until the end of the month, in order to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) confirmed the closure in a circular sent out to all hotel establishments in the emirate – bars within restaurants are also to close although there is currently no plan to close restaurants.

The decision was taken, “in line with Dubai Government precautionary measures to ensure the health and safety of its residents and visitors”, the statement said.

It added: “Dubai Tourism will continuously evaluate the situation in coordination with the health authorities.”

Popular Irish bar chain McGettigan's had already announced it had closed its doors in light of the continued coronavirus crisis.

A statement said: “In line with our values, we will continue to put colleagues, customers and the community’s welfare at the heart of the decision we make in this unprecedented time. It is with regret but more so a feeling of responsibility that we have taken the decision to temporarily close our pubs at JLT, Madinate, DWTC and AUH.”

In a statement to Arabian Business, Mirzo Hafizov, managing director of Bolt Group, which owns Chalet Berzeka on the Palm Jumeirah and OSH at La Mer, said: “Health and safety of our guests and our employees is our top priority, therefore we will support the DTCM (Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing) and DM (Dubai Municipality) in every way possible to ensure we do our part for the safety of our guests and employees. Since entertainment is a big part of our operation, it is a blow and we are doing everything we can to ease the damage this will cause.

“We will be sending our entertainment team on holiday sooner than we planned. We hope landlords across Dubai will be understanding and will be accommodating to support the business at this difficult times.”