OVERSEAS CLINICS READY TO TEST TRAVELLERS HEADING TO THE UAE
▶ More than 100 centres are part of the Covid-19 screening programme
The UAE started an international testing programme to ensure travellers flying to the Emirates are free of Covid-19.
Medics at some of the more than 100 accredited laboratories overseas said they were ready to deliver thousands of PCR tests that tourists and some returning residents must take before they board their flights.
A Covid-19 test will be as vital a part of travel preparations as an entry visa for passengers hoping to fly this summer and beyond, they said.
“The Covid-19 test prior to boarding makes the aircraft as virus-free as possible,” said Cameron McTavish from Australia’s Healius medical group, which operates labs expecting thousands of samples from UAE passengers.
“This is a practical solution to getting people travelling again.
“Others are now following the UAE’s lead as they have been on the front of the wave on this.”
Before booking a flight out of the country, travellers should apply for a permit from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs or the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship.
Permission is not necessarily required to leave the country – but it is required to return. Passengers booking return flights with Emirates require a GDRFA number to book their outward-bound flight.
A negative PCR test is no longer needed for residents travelling from Abu Dhabi, but is required for passengers who are returning.
The GCC’s largest medical laboratory, Pure Health, partnered with other testing centres around the world to simplify the process of acquiring the medical certificate that is mandatory before boarding an aircraft back to the UAE.
An online portal guides passengers through the registration process.
A sample from a PCR nasal swab is collected during an appointment at a registered facility, national testing centre or in some cases, at home or another registered address.
Most results will be returned within 24 hours through either WhatsApp, text message or email.
The exact procedure and price vary between countries.
In Australia, travellers are encouraged to submit a sample no earlier than four days before flying, with the cost of a test set at A$150, or Dh382.
The country has 2,200 collection points for general pathology.
Of those, including drivethrough clinics, 100 are dedicated Covid-19 sample collection centres.
In Jordan, where Pure Health partnered with Biolabs, a 72hour window is recommended for tests before flying into the UAE. “People in Jordan applying for a visa to visit the UAE can visit an online section that will guide them through the process of the necessary procedure,” said Dina Abu Taa, Biolab’s business development executive.
“When they apply for a visa, the passenger must pay for the cost of the test, which is 57 dinar, about Dh300.
“We have an agreement with Pure Health, the UAE government medical partners, that every passenger planning to travel must take a test in our labs.”
There are labs in Amman and Irbid, and both are specialist Covid-19 test centres.
Results can be viewed on the Pure Health online portal or delivered in a WhatsApp message from Biolab within 48 hours.
Meanwhile in India, Neuberg Diagnostics will test passengers flying back to the Emirates in accredited labs in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Pune.
The registration process demands travellers present proof of identity together with an address, and preferably an Aadhaar government ID card or passport for non-resident Indians.
Fees vary from 2,000 rupees (Dh98) to 4,500 rupees, depending on the state. Results will be available within 48 hours.
“The patient must complete a test requisition form from the doctor with their medical registration number,” said Aishwarya Vasudevan, chief operating officer at Neuberg Diagnostics.
“Depending upon the various state guidelines, people can request Neuberg for home sample collection or can walk in to our allotted centres. “
Sample collection at home is done by phlebotomists wearing personal protective equipment.
All positive samples are taken to the National Institute of Virology in Pune under suitable biosafety and biosecurity precautions. Similar operations are established around the world, with Neuberg also testing people in South Africa.
There, testing is available to patients who visit clinics in Durban and Johannesburg. The fee is 850 rand, or Dh186.
This is a practical solution to getting people travelling again. Others are now following the UAE’s lead CAMERON McTAVISH Healius medical group, Australia