Dubai (AFP)

Bags of luxury boutiques in gloved hands: one of the largest shopping centers in the world, the famous and flashy Dubai Mall, reopened on Tuesday with strict restrictions imposed by the emirate in the face of the coronavirus pandemic .

In one of the large main entrances, where customers are used to entrusting their 4x4 or Porsche to the porter, employees wear a black t-shirt with the inscription "Welcome back".

In the heart of the glitzy city center, Dubai Mall is not just a shopping center. It is one of the main attractions of this oil-poor emirate, which has built its wealth and world renown on its pharaonic projects and a diversified economy, ranging from tourism to international transport, finance and real estate.

With more than 1,300 shops spread over more than a million square meters and around 80 million visitors each year, it is the largest and busiest shopping complex in the world according to its owner, the real estate giant Emaar. Its reopening is therefore a symbol and a major challenge.

Far from the usual crowd, a few expatriates in jeans and Emiratis in traditional dresses roam the large, vibrant alleys of rowdy chic. Among them, Jamal, a 21-year-old Emirati student who, before the coronavirus crisis, came there every weekend with his friends.

Holding in his hands two red bags from a famous French jewelry brand, he is delighted with this reopening as measures imposed at the entrance.

"This shows that there is progress in the fight against the virus and that life will soon return to normal," said the young man whose small trimmed beard is largely hidden by a blue surgical mask.

The Emirates have officially registered more than 11,000 cases of infection and nearly 100 deaths from the disease.

- Thermal masks and cameras -

Thermal cameras screwed on the ceiling and around the shopping center also record the heat waves emitted by passers-by, the entry of children from three to 12 years old as people over 60 years of age being prohibited.

The wearing of a protective mask is compulsory for anyone wishing to shop, in ordinary ready-to-wear boutiques as well as with major French or Italian fashion brands. In recent weeks, only the grocery stores and pharmacies in the Dubai Mall have remained open.

Last week, the United Arab Emirates, a Gulf State of which Dubai is a part, eased confinement by allowing mall shops, restaurants and even hair salons to reopen with restrictions that take sanitary and distancing rules into account. social.

In accordance with the directives, the cinema, the ice rink or the large fountain of the Dubai Mall, a famous tourist spot, will remain closed until further notice.

Doors also remain closed at "At The Top", an observation platform located on the 124th and 125th floors of the world's tallest tower, Burj Khalifa, adjacent to the mall.

Tourism is a key sector of Dubai's economy, which in 2019 welcomed more than 16 million foreign visitors. The emirate was hoping for some 20 million this year before the pandemic broke out.

In an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday, Dubai tourism official Hilal al-Marri said the emirate could reopen to international tourism "in July".

- "Reassure customers" -

The reopening of the Dubai Mall marks a first step. "It is a source of pride, especially since we work hand in hand with the health and safety authorities", assures AFP Najla Boujellal, responsible for relations with merchants in Emaar.

"Thermal cameras are not an obligation (imposed by the authorities) but we wanted to have them as an additional tool to reassure our customers," she explains.

Beyond technologies, the social distance of two meters is in order. The shopping center is operating at 30% of its usual capacity. And each boutique displays on its window the maximum number of people it can accommodate: from five to several dozen customers depending on the area.

"We have technologies to control the number of people entering. We have reports every hour," said Najla Boujellal, adding that Emaar hopes a gradual increase to reach the "normal" attendance of 250,000 visits per day, "or more ".

For Saad, a Saudi visitor who is holding a small beige package in his hands, the reopening of the mall puts an end to a "difficult period", hoping that the situation "will get better and better, inshallah".

© 2020 AFP