The emirate of Dubai has made revisions to travel protocols to reduce hassles for passengers and exempt citizens from additional procedures without compromising on COVID-19 precautionary measures to ensure the passenger safety.

In his capacity as Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, has directed changes to be made to the travel protocols for passengers arriving or departing from Dubai. Under these directives, the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai headed by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced a new set of travel protocols for Emiratis, residents, tourists and transit passengers travelling into and out of Dubai.

According to the revised protocols, Emiratis returning to Dubai from overseas are not required to do a PCR test prior to departure, regardless of the country they are coming from and the time spent there. They will only be required to conduct a PCR test on arrival in Dubai.

All residents and inbound tourists will have to undergo a PCR test before they depart for Dubai.
Transit passengers from certain countries are required to do a PCR test prior to departure for Dubai. The pre-travel test is also mandatory for transit passengers if their destination country requires them to do so.

Emiratis, residents and tourists travelling overseas from Dubai are required to undergo a PCR test prior to departure only if their destination country requires a pre-travel negative test certificate.

The Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management said the new travel protocols are part of a regular process of revising and optimising precautionary measures based on the latest local, regional and international developments.

The amended protocols are based on the recommendations of frontline entities combating the pandemic including the COVID-19 Command and Control Centre and the Dubai Health Authority, and a comprehensive assessment of the global situation. The protocols also address the travel guidelines and requirements of different countries.

The Committee stressed the importance of implementing precautionary measures and protocols in all Dubai travel ports according to the recommendations of local and global authorities to ensure the safety of passengers, flight crew and airport employees.

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In line with its efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Abu Dhabi has updated its protocols for visitors and residents on September 4. So far, the pandemic has infected 72,766 people in the UAE.

From September 5, residents and visitors can enter the emirate of Abu Dhabi within 48 hours of receiving a negative PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) or DPI (Diffractive Phase Interferometry) test result, notified the Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee. It also said that residents and visitors who enter and stay for over six consecutive days within Abu Dhabi must take a PCR test on the sixth day of each visit, to protect the health and safety of all.

DPI test results no longer require a prior PCR test. Earlier, a person had to undergo both tests to enter Abu Dhabi.

For a PCR test, a nasal swab is done while DPI test is a laser-based test that uses blood samples to detect the coronavirus. It helps the health authorities to conduct large-scale screening within a few seconds. The rapid test costs Dh50, while the PCR swab usually costs Dh370. The Ghantoot screening centre at the Dubai-Abu Dhabi border processes 6,000 samples a day.

The Abu Dhabi government is using electronic wristbands as part of its effort to enforce isolation and reduce the spread of COVID-19. The device serves as a tracing and monitoring tool and is linked to the COVID-19 testing and tracing app, Al Hosn, and will be used to make sure that self-isolating people actually stay at home.

The smartwatch helps to identify and track the geographical location of the patient and ensure that he or she does not leave home and jeopardise public health. These smart tools are provided to the patients free of cost.

Tampering with the tracking device or app installed by authorities can invite a fine of Dh20,000.

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