Covid-19: Abu Dhabi announces new border entry regulations

Abu Dhabi has announced new regulations for those entering its borders from within the UAE starting from Sunday, December 19 as part of efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.

EDE scanners – which use technology to rapidly detect potential coronavirus cases by measuring alterations in electromagnetic waves – will now be deployed at entry points, the Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee said.

All those commuting into Abu Dhabi from other parts of the country will need to undertake the EDE scan, regardless of whether they have the green pass. The scanners will not store personal information, officials said.

Potential positive Covid-19 cases will be referred to an on-site testing centre, where they will be given a free antigen test, and results within 20 minutes.

If they test positive for Covid-19, Abu Dhabi residents will have to isolate for 10 days as per the emirate’s guidelines. They will also be fitted with a tracking wristband.

For those from other emirates, they will need to return back and notify the local health authority of their test result.

“The decision strengthens precautionary measures to help maintain the low Covid-19 infection rate of 0.05 per cent of total tests in Abu Dhabi emirate,” Abu Dhabi Media Office said in a statement.

Abu Dhabi’s low infection rate has been achieved through the “ongoing implementation of preventive and precautionary measures, including continuous testing and contact tracing, use of the green pass system to access public places and events, and high vaccination rates”, it added.

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— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@admediaoffice) December 15, 2021

In September, Abu Dhabi removed the requirement for a negative Covid-19 test result for those entering into the emirate by road. However, it still requires all those entering public places such as malls and gyms to be vaccinated and have a recent negative PCR test.

The UAE announced 148 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the country to 743,152.

It also confirmed that that no Covid-19 related deaths were recorded while an additional 92 individuals had fully recovered from the virus.