Emirates has announced it will be making a negative COVID-19 test mandatory for passengers traveling back from specific countries effective July 10, according to a statement from the Dubai-based airlines.
The negative COVID-19 coronavirus test must be issued no more than 96 hours before departure, the airlines confirmed in a statement posted on their website.
The following countries listed are the countries where passengers must submit a negative coronavirus test before departure: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Russian Federation, Sudan, Tanzania and the US.
For the US, the airlines specified the following airports: Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Orlando (MCO), including passengers originating from California, Florida and Texas connecting to an Emirates flight to Dubai.
Dubai opened it doors to international tourists from Tuesday, July 7, as the emirate continues to reopen from the lockdown it imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Dubai expects an “aggressive” bounce back in tourism by the year-end after the Mideast travel hub allowed holiday-makers to resume flying into the emirate from Tuesday.
Dubai, which spent years turning itself into a business and tourism hub, attracts millions of visitors annually thanks to its beaches, luxury hotels and high-end malls. It started easing restrictions in the past months after locking down the city and suspending travel.
A passenger of an Emirates airlines flight departing to the Australian city of Sydney, checks in at Dubai International Airport. (File photo: AFP)
