Fresh step towards normalcy makes family visits, business trips easier, expats say
Dubai: UAE residents and entrepreneurs welcomed the government’s decision to do away with the PCR test requirement for fully-vaccinated passengers coming to the country from Saturday.
They said the move will add simplicity and ease to inbound travel. It is also a bold step to boost business and would fast track the return to normalcy, they added.
Fully-vaccinated passengers coming to the UAE will only need to show an approved vaccination certificate with a readable QR code. The Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai meanwhile announced that wearing of face masks is now optional in open spaces, while it remains mandatory in public indoor spaces, in line with the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority’s (NCEMA) announcement on updates to COVID-19 precautionary measures in the UAE.
The announcement follows a steady recent decline in COVID-19 cases in the UAE.
Travel industry experts welcomed the move to remove the rapid PCR tests at departing airports in various countries. Geoffrey Salatan, manager, Sales and Client Relations at Airlink International, said: “The scrapping of PCR test for inbound traveller is indeed good news, not only for passengers but also for the travel and airline industry.”
Residents can also now travel to the UAE without getting a pre-approval from General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) Dubai or the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICA).
Abu Dhabi-based entrepreneur Rolly Brucales, managing partner of Off The Hook (OTH), said the recent announcement is “a bold move to boost business in the UAE. It will encourage more tourists to visit the UAE because of the minimal travel protocols and this means great news to business as public confidence is now becoming really high”.
Anil Punjabi, Chairman of Eastern Region at Travel Agents Federation of India, said: “This is a very welcome decision and this could not have come at a more opportune moment. The travel and tourism industry in India and all over the world stands to benefit from this.”
Commenting on the possibility of resumption of regular commercial flights between India and the UAE, Punjabi added: “With this latest decision to scrap PCR tests, I think we have taken a step in that direction [resumption of regular commercial flights]. So far as India is concerned, travel agencies have already started receiving some feelers from the civil aviation authorities here about the possibility of resumption of regular flights. We are quite hopeful that regular flights may resume around March 15.”
— With inputs from Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor
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