COVID-19: UAE issues new guidelines for Pakistani travellers

ISLAMABAD – Authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Tuesday issued a new set of rules for visitors that must undergo PCR testing before entering the Gulf state.

According to the latest directives, which take effect today, passengers coming from Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and Nepal must undergo Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing before entering the country.

UAE-bound passengers need to arrive at the airport six hours prior to departure to undertake the quick PCR test. The recent notice from the UAE government addressed all airlines to follow the pre-requisite.

Earlier on August 5, the UAE lifted the long-awaited ban on transit passenger traffic from Pakistan, India, Nigeria, and other countries though it still required travelers from these countries to present negative Covid tests.

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Meanwhile, the Islamabad International Airport Islamabad (IIAI) along with other airports has started a facility to conduct rapid PCR tests for UAE-bound passengers.

An aviation spokesman while speaking with a publication confirmed that several laboratories have set up their counters and we are trying to facilitate all passengers.

The Rapid PCR test can determine Covid positive case even before a person becomes infectious, making it possible to isolate such an individual on time while other diagnosis tests detect viral proteins, revealing the coronavirus presence in a person’s respiratory system at the peak of the infection.