Somalilandsun: Dubai will halt blanket testing on arriving passengers next week – instead requiring people from just 29 countries to undergo a nasal swab when they land.
Last week, the federal government said everyone travelling to the country, including Emiratis, residents and tourists, must present a certificate to prove they are free from Covid-19 before they board their flight.
But now Dubai has released a list of countries whose passengers will be required to take a second PCR swab test when they land in the emirate from August 1.
The countries on the list, released by Dubai Airports and Emirates, include several with a high number of daily new cases, such as Russia and Brazil, and nations without recognised testing centres.
They are:
Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Middle East and Africa: Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, South Africa and Tanzania.
Europe: Armenia, Montenegro, Russia and Serbia.
The Americas: Brazil, the US – Dallas Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, including passengers originating from California, Florida and Texas who connect to an Emirates flight from any airport to Dubai.
To date, all passengers landing in Dubai have been tested when they landed at the airport but this will stop on August 1.
In Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates, all passengers will continue to be tested on arrival, in addition to carrying proof that they were tested before they boarded their flight.
Anyone who takes a test on arrival must isolate until they receive their results. If the result is negative, they no longer need to isolate, according to Dubai’s rules. According to federal rules, travellers must quarantine for 14 days, whatever the test result is, if they are in the other emirates.
Everyone who arrives in the country must download the Covid19 – DXB Smart App if they arrive in Dubai, or Al Hosn app if they land elsewhere in the UAE. The app allows users to receive the results of their test, if they took one on arrival, and allows contact tracing teams to track the spread of the virus.
Last week, federal authorities said any UAE resident travelling to the UK or EU must be tested and show negative for Covid-19 before leaving the Emirates.
Related: Full list of where you can be tested overseas before travelling to the Emirates
