Incoming travelers should be tested for Covid-19 up to four days before the date of travel.
Photo: knt/Unsplash
If you’re planning a trip to Dubai in the near future—and simply can’t wait until next year to travel— there’s good news for you. Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management has announced that the emirate will gradually reopen its borders from today, with returning UAE citizens being the first allowed back in. Citizens and permanent residents of Dubai will have permission to travel overseas starting tomorrow, but must take a mandatory PCR test at the airport on their return. International visitors will be able to enter Dubai from July 7 by following several new procedures.
Before departure, tourists must fill out a health declaration form and sign a statement agreeing to bear all costs of quarantine and treatment should they fall ill with the virus. They will also be required to download and register for the Dubai Health Authority’s Covid-19 DXB Smart App, available on Google Play Store. The app aims to provide real statistics both worldwide and within the UAE, while offering personalized support from designated paramedics in case a user is infected by Covid-19.
Even more importantly, travelers are urged to show a negative result through a PCR test conducted up to four days (96 hours) before the date of departure. Those without valid results will be tested on arrival at Dubai International Airport, and will most likely be held in a waiting area or a designated quarantine facility while the results are being processed. Throughout their stay in Dubai, visitors are asked to wear masks, maintain a minimum distance of two meters from other people wherever possible, and wash hands regularly.
As a further precaution, authorities at the airport have the right to retest all tourists who arrive with suspected symptoms even if they are bearing proof of a negative result. A 14-day quarantine will be imposed on infected travelers, who must undergo self-isolation inside a government-provided facility at their own expense.
