Our Correspondent
Tourists from six countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman have been exempted from taking a PCR test before departure to Dubai. Since November, travellers from the UK and Germany were exempted from pre-departure test.
Instead of a negative test result before boarding their flights, they need take only a test on arrival at Dubai airport.
But tourists arriving by road through the Hatta border with Oman must carry a negative PCR test result that is done not more than four days before travel.
All passengers can however take the test 96 hours before departure from their country of origin. Other test certificates such as antibody tests and home-testing kits are not accepted in Dubai.
Passengers must carry an official, printed certificate in English or Arabic. SMS and digital certificates are not accepted.
SEHA offers PCR tests for Dh85
The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) will offer a discounted rate of Dh85 at all its screening centres in the capital, Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
This is part of a national strategy to widen access to testing services and make the nasal swab more affordable.
Private hospitals and clinics in Abu Dhabi have already cut prices and made swab tests available at Dh85 in line with the decision. COVID-19 screening centres across the country have reduced the price of PCR tests to Dh85.
The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced on December 7 that it conducted 87,635 additional COVID-19 tests which detected 1,148 new cases, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the UAE to 177,577. MoHAP also announced 579 recoveries and 2 deaths, taking the total deaths in the country to 594.
MoHAP also noted that an additional 579 individuals had fully recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 159,711.
