When traveling to Dubai, you are required to have a PCR test performed up to 96 hours in advance. A PCR test checks whether there is genetic material (RNA) from the COVID-19 virus in the nose or pharynx. This PCR test is mandatory for both transferring passengers and residing in the United Arab Emirates. Children under 12 are excluded. This also applies to travelers with a moderate or severe disability. When departing from the United Arab Emirates to Europe, you must also have a PCR test taken. After taking the PCR test, you will receive the result with a health statement the next day.

As of this week, Dubai Airport has also stationed special detection dogs that can detect the corona virus in humans. Dubai Airport is the first airport in the world where so-called K9 detection dogs are put in to trace corona patients. For months, there has been speculation in the media whether detection dogs can detect the corona virus in humans. This has also been tested and investigated for months by various agencies in different countries. Now, research shows that special tracking dogs can identify the coronavirus with about 92 percent accuracy in humans.

Passengers entering Dubai arriving and coming from risk areas or countries must provide an axillary sample. These axillary samples are collected in a separate, isolated room where the special tracking dog comes to sniff. The dog will smell with about 92 percent accuracy if this sample is infected with the coronavirus. In this way, it is clear within minutes whether a traveler is infected with the corona virus or not. Various countries are also looking into whether these special corona detection dogs can detect, for example in a saliva sample, whether people are infected with the corona virus. This is of course a nice development and if it functions well it could also be used at festivals, for example.

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