Dubai: The United Arab Emirates announced that it would continue the issuance of visas to all tourists who were fully vaccinated against Covid from Monday, a month before Dubai held a 2020 pending exhibition trade exhibition.
The move came amid declines coronavirus infection in the oil-rich Gulf state, after reporting less than 1,000 cases per day last week for the first time in several months.
The UAE decision to reopen the door to tourists from all countries taken sequentially “to achieve sustainable economic recovery and growth”, the official WAM news agency reported on Saturday.
Those who meet the requirements must be fully inoculated with one of the Covid-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization, which includes Astrazeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer / Bionth, Sinopharm and Sinovac.
“The decision applies to citizens of all countries, including those who come from countries previously prohibited,” Wam said.
“Passengers who come with a tourist visa must take a required PCR test at the airport,” he added.
The UAE consists of seven emirates including the capital of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
While life in this country has largely returned to normal in the middle of Covid’s pandemic, it continues to enforce strict rules about using masks and social distance.
Dubai last year counted at six months Dubai Expo 2020 – delayed a year with a health crisis and is now set to open in October – to attract millions of visitors and improve the economy.
Strongly dependent on tourism, the emirate was one of the first goals to open the door for travelers, accepting tourists in July last year, just a few months after the pandemic was held.
Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, was more careful, opening several visitors only in December.
UAE has so far recorded more than 715,000 cases of Covid-19 infection, including 2,036 deaths.