DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Dubai has enacted strict new measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 and is defending its pandemic response strategy after a surge in cases.

Record breaking infection rates in recent weeks have forced Dubai to introduce new venue capacity cuts and a night curfew for some businesses, after opening itself to tourists. Authorities blamed “a marked increase in the number of violations of precautionary measures” for the new rules.

In the last week, the U.K. has suspended all UAE flights — the world’s busiest international route. Meanwhile, Dubai on Wednesday banned its popular brunches, closing pubs and bars.

“The approach in the UAE and in Dubai in particular has always been underpinned by science, and science informed common sense,” Alawi Alsheikh-Ali, deputy director of the Dubai Health Authority told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble on Thursday.

“The numbers have surged but the health system has managed to keep up with the numbers and take care of the sick, and there has been more restrictions now in terms of activities in the Emirate and the UAE in response to that,” he added.

But as images of busy beaches and Instagram celebrities on social media spark anger and envy in the international press, some are questioning the wisdom of Dubai’s strategy.

“What has happened in Dubai did not need to happen,” Erin Bromage, a professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, who specializes in infection and immunology, told CNBC.

“They have brought the virus in, including the new variants, in waves of new tourists and allowed it to spread through the community as well as spread to uninfected tourists,” Bromage said. “The tourists return home and seeded infections there, possibly with the new variants.”

Travel hotspot
Figures from the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority show almost 300,000 people traveled between the U.K. and UAE during November and December last year alone, with thousands flocking to Dubai’s hotspots for an escape from lockdowns.

In the critical month of December — when a new and highly transmissible variant of the virus was spreading in the U.K. — 211,115 people traveled between the U.K. and the UAE. The data only shows traffic to and from the U.K. and not other countries, meaning the total number of travelers is likely much higher. Testing was required for passengers before boarding or on arrival.