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Staff at an office in Dubai. Picture for illustrative purpose only. Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News Archives

Dubai: The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) on Thursday announced that new rules to enter government departments will be implemented as of next month.

FAHR clarified that only those who received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccination or who produce a negative PCR test carried out within 48 hours, will be allowed to visit ministries, federal departments and customer service centres.

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“As of Sunday, August 1, 2021, customers, visitors, employees of outsourcing or service companies, or any person other than employees of the entity will not be allowed to enter the headquarters of ministries, federal entities and their customer service centres.”

However, people will be exempted from the rule if they fall under three categories:

  1. Customer or visitor who received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines approved in the country, or who has a negative result for a nasal swab examination (PCR) valid for a period not exceeding 48 hours from receiving the result.
  2. Unvaccinated persons who have obtained an exception from the competent health authorities, provided that they have a negative result for the PCR examination, valid for a period not exceeding 48 hours from receiving the result.
  3. Those under the age of 16 are excluded from the provisions of this circular.

Earlier this week, the UAE announced the emergency registration of the Moderna vaccine, bringing the total number of approved vaccines to five.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) said 15.7 million doses have been administered to date, indicating that 74.5 per cent of the population has received at least one dose while 64.3 per cent are fully vaccinated with COVID vaccines, including Sinopharm, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sputnik.