Latest COVID rules/sources – a primer

Tips and Tricks

It’s often worth looking at signing for email alerts or add pages to RSS feeds/newsreaders like Feedly to follow all updates.

Another tip is to set up a Google Alert for a specific keyword (e.g. NCEMA or Emirates) which will then email you mentions of the word in news etc.

Link > Google Alerts.        Feedly

The first 3 ‘buckets’ you should ALWAYS check are

1. Home government official travel advice

FCDO Advice for UAE

Although aimed at British nationals overseas, their advice is comprehensive and useful for all.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/united-arab-emirates

2. Destination/government travel & COVID advice

Visit Dubai – COVID Hub

Here’s the Visit Dubai hub, with a few decent links.

https://www.visitdubai.com/en/coronavirus-advisory

Visit Abu Dhabi

Check for ‘green list’ updates, as Abu Dhabi maintains its own list which is country of travel origin/geographical-based NOT citizenship.

https://visitabudhabi.ae/en/plan-your-trip/covid-safe-travel

National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA)

Official COVID-19 statistics, but also follow on Twitter as they often annouce any protocols or rule changes there.

https://covid19.ncema.gov.ae/en

3. Your airline/carrier

Emirates COVID-19 Hub (based in Dubai, DXB)

https://www.emirates.com/english/help/covid-19/

Emirates – Travel Updates

https://www.emirates.com/uk/english/help/travel-updates/

Approved PCR test laboratories (via Emirates, PDF download)

https://c.ekstatic.net/ecl/documents/health-screening-documents/approved-laboratories.pdf

Etihad (based in Abu Dhabi, AUH)

https://www.etihad.com/en-gb/travel-updates/covid-19 

Dubai Airports

Note: not always up-to-date, and Emirates often have the latest information relative to DXB

https://www.dubaiairports.ae/alert/latest-covid-19-update-

Abu Dhabi Airport

note: minimum transit times allowed on connections may be strictly enforced to reduce ‘hanging around’ in the airport, and may result in being denied boarding at origin. 

https://www.abudhabiairport.ae/en/announcement

Local Media

The National

Start with The National. Although it's often more Abu Dhabi-centric than Dubai, it's closer to Government sources and better standards of reporting (IMO) than Gulf News (which often is paywalled) or Khaleej Time with a brief roundup. Here's their roundup of latest key rules in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/covid-19-rules-in-dubai-and-abu-dhabi-this-weekend-what-you-need-to-know-1.1151351

Emirates News Agency

Official Emirates News Agency (sometimes a bit self-congratulatory or ‘spin' but often, official announcements are published here before the local media)

http://wam.ae/en

Abu Dhabi Media Office

Abu Dhabi is a different Emirate to Dubai, and often the rules are different, so it’s worth ollowin Abu Dhabi Media Office on Twitter for updates.

https://twitter.com/admediaoffice/

Other Sources

Trip Advisor – Dubai Forum

Although a Forum, there’s heaps of ‘real world’ threads in there from travellers who have travelled to Dubai during the pandemic, including some feedback from those unlucky to have tested positive and had to quarantine.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g295424-i872-Dubai_Emirate_of_Dubai.html