DUBAI — In his capacity as Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the vice president and premier of the UAE, has directed changes to be made to the travel protocols for passengers arriving or departing from Dubai, the UAE's state news agency WAM reported on Friday. The revisions to the protocols aim to ease hassles for passengers and exempt citizens from additional procedures without compromising on precautionary measures to ensure the safety of passengers. As part of the directives, the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai headed by Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced a new set of travel protocols for Emiratis, residents, tourists, and transit passengers traveling 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 prior to departure for Dubai. Transit passengers from some countries are required to conduct 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 only required to undergo a PCR test prior to departure 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 optimizing 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 Center 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.
