7 DXB gates allotted to Covid-19 checks
Focus on additional screenings for high-risk travellers
At the world’s busiest airport, several steps have been taken to contain the spread of the new coronavirus — and among the latest measures is the allocation of seven gates to screen high-risk passengers from a number of destinations, a top official said on Wednesday.
Damian Ellacott, vice-president of Airport Operations Control Centre at Dubai Airports, said there are six designated gates at Dubai International’s Terminal 3 and one is operational at Terminal 1.
“We have adopted effective measures to asses the medical conditions of passengers arriving from China, Italy, Lebanon and Syria, among others,” Ellacott told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the inauguration of the new Airport Operations Control Centre.
He said all passengers are being checked through thermal screening cameras at the dedicated gates. “Suspected passengers may have to undergo nasal swabbing for final confirmation. We are taking all possible steps to contain the virus,” he said, adding that the whole process takes only a few minutes.
The deadly virus, which was first identified in China, has now affected more than 92,000 people, including 3,131 deaths, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.
The UAE authorities have adopted timely measures to contain Covid-19 and said there is no high risk of coronavirus in the country.
“Clearly, we are supporting the management of Covid-19 in the UAE. We have a critical role to play given how large a hub DXB is globally. We are responsible for the directives being given to us by the federal government, the General Civil Aviation Authority, and the Dubai government,” Ellacott said.
“And what that means is that there are certain flights, certain destinations for which we have to screen the passengers. We have to thermally screen them, they have to pass past a thermal camera, and some passengers from certain destinations have to undergo a nasalswabbing process.
“Currently, we have seven of our normal gates that are assigned for these additional screening processes,” Ellacott elaborated.
We have adopted effective measures to asses the medical conditions of passengers arriving from China, Italy, Lebanon and Syria, among others.” Damian Ellacott, vice-president of Airport Operations Control Centre,
Dubai Airports