Covid-19: Dubai ramps up PCR testing for passengers

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Dubai - This is among the three new safety rules that Dubai announced on Wednesday.

By Web Report

Published: Thu 28 Jan 2021, 2:53 AM

The test should have been taken within 72 hours of travel - down from the earlier 96.

Tourists and UAE residents arriving in Dubai from any country are required to have a negative Covid-19 test report before travel.

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This is among the three new safety rules that Dubai announced on Wednesday. The rules come into effect from Sunday, January 31.

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The other two rules are:

- The PCR test should have been taken within 72 hours of travel - down from 96 earlier.

- Arrivals from certain countries (based on the pandemic situation in those countries) require an additional test on arrival in Dubai.

Emiratis returning to the UAE are exempted from undertaking a PCR test before travel. They just need to undergo a test at the airport.

Additionally, rapid tests for Covid-19 will be provided at Dubai airports, if required by the destination country.

The Supreme Committee for Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai, headed by Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced the changes.

The updates are part of the committee’s keenness to protect passengers and ease hassles for them without compromising on Covid-19 precautionary measures.

The committee said the updated travel protocols are part of a "regular process of revising and optimising precautionary measures based on the latest local, regional and international developments".

"They are also aimed at enabling Dubai to continue serving as a global commercial hub and a bridge for travel and trade between the east and west," the committee added.