Tourists get a medical screening upon arrival at Teminal 3 at Dubai airport, in the United Arab Emirates, on July 8, 2020, as the Gulf emirate reopens to tourists after a long shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. PHOTO | AFP Under the new measures by Dubai, travellers from Africa will now be required to provide a Rapid PCR test report conducted at the departure airport six hours before departure to Dubai.
This is in addition to a negative Covid-19 test certificate issued within 48 hours of arrival in Dubai.
The new rules, which apply to both passengers terminating their journey and those transiting through Dubai, are expected to spoil the party for Africans, most of whom prefer Dubai as a transit point, due to its interconnectivity and the lower fares charged by its national carrier, Emirates Airline
Travellers from East Africa to Dubai are now facing more stringent conditions, with airlines like Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines, which ply that route, staring at a slowdown in business in the festive season.
On Wednesday, Dubai through its Covid-19 Command and Control Centre (CCC), put travellers from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Nigeria, Zambia, Cameroon, and Chad under new measures as it sought to control the spread of Covid-19.
Dubai’s decision came days after Ghana put in place strict measures, including a $3,500 fine for airlines ferrying unvaccinated passengers, and a requirement for a rapid PCR test on arrival at a cost of $150 per passenger.
Under the new measures by Dubai, travellers from Africa will now be required to provide a Rapid PCR test report conducted at the departure airport six hours before departure to Dubai.
This is in addition to a negative Covid-19 test certificate issued within 48 hours of arrival in Dubai.
The new rules, which apply to both passengers terminating their journey and those transiting through Dubai, are expected to spoil the party for Africans, most of whom prefer Dubai as a transit point, due to its interconnectivity and the lower fares charged by its national carrier, Emirates Airlines.
The new measures will also see passengers, including those in transit, undergo a PCR test upon arrival in Dubai and self-quarantine until a negative test result is out.
Kenya Airways Director of Operations Paul Njoroge told The EastAfrican that the carrier is now advising our passengers to arrive at the airport six hours before the flight to have a PCR test conducted in order […]
