Dubai to accept pre-flight COVID tests from hospitals worldwide

Passengers travelling to Dubai can now take Covid-19 tests before they fly from a much wider range of facilities abroad.

The UAE earlier announced it would only accept tourists with COVID-19 negative certificates from a limited list of testing centers. The policy remains the same for other emirates.

The announcement comes as Dubai restarts its tourism industry, which was hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic that forced international borders to shut down.

The policy applies to all tourists except those coming from a list of countries where travelers are required to take a second screening at UAE airports.

For the negative certificate to be considered valid, travelers should take the test not more than 96 hours before departure.

Meanwhile, the Indian ambassador to the UAE said both countries were extending a temporary travel corridor agreement until Aug. 31, according to an interview published by national daily Khaleej Times.

Pavan Kapoor said bookings can be made from Aug. 5, with around 700 flights to be operated throughout the month.

Both countries earlier initiated a two-week travel corridor where around 25,000 people were able fly to India.

But Kapoor said resuming normal travel “is not yet possible” because of local bureaucracies and the fact that India has over 1.4 million infections.