UAE to open for fully vaccinated tourists, PCR- test mandatory

The United Arab Emirates(UAE) has decided to issue visas to all tourists fully vaccinated against Covid from Monday, The move comes amid a drop in coronavirus infections in the oil-rich Gulf country, after it reported less than 1,000 cases per day last week for the first time in months. Decision to reopen its doors to tourists from all countries was taken in order "to achieve sustainable recovery and economic growth", the official WAM news agency reported.

Those eligible would have to be fully inoculated with one of the Covid-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization, which include AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Sinopharm and Sinovac. "Passengers arriving on tourist visas must take a mandatory PCR test at the airport," it added. While life in the country has largely returned to normal amid the Covid pandemic, it continues to enforce strict rules on wearing masks and social distancing. Dubai was last year counting on the six-month Dubai Expo 2020 -- delayed a year by the health crisis and now set to open in October -- to attract millions of visitors and boost the economy. The UAE as so far recorded more than 715,000 cases of Covid-19 infection, including 2,036 deaths.