Published 18:34 IST, July 24th 2020
UAE makes COVID-19 PCR tests mandatory for all airports as it welcomes tourists
The United Arab Emirates, on July 23, announced that it was now mandatory for all travellers to undergo COVID PCR tests upon arriving at the country’s airports.
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The United Arab Emirates, on July 23, announced that it was now mandatory for all travellers to undergo COVID PCR tests upon arriving at the country’s airports. The new regulation would be implemented from August 1 on all airports and would cover UAE citizens, tourists and transit passengers, regardless of the country they are flying from.
In addition to incoming passengers, UAE residents travelling to the European Union, Britain and any other countries that require a COVID-19 PCR test would have to take the test before they board the plane, country’s National Authority for Emergency and Crisis and Disaster Management and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation confirmed.
To preserve health of people
Emirates which is planning to resume its international flights to India said that the decision has been made to preserve the health of citizens as well as limit the spread of COVID-19 in the country. As per the regulations, children under 12 years of age are exempted from the laboratory test that is valid for 96 hours from the date of the test. PCR or polymerise chain reaction is one of the most popular tests of assessing COVID-19.
This comes as more than 10,000 volunteers have registered to take part in the third phase of the UAE's COVID-19 vaccine trial. The UAE had earlier announced that it had started phase three clinical trial of a Covid-19 vaccine that is expected to be available by the end of 2020 or early 2021.
Image credits: AP
18:34 IST, July 24th 2020