Dubai Expo Visitors Must Be Vaccinated or COVID-Free, Organizer Says

Dubai Expo Visitors Must Be Vaccinated or COVID-Free, Organizer Says

People walk at the site of Dubai Expo 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates January 16, 2021. (Reuters)

Expo 2020 Dubai said on Wednesday that entry to the world fair for visitors over 18 years old would be restricted to those who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 or had tested negative in the previous 72 hours.

For months, the state organizer had said visitors would not have to be vaccinated or present a negative COVID-19 test to gain entry to the Expo, which starts on Oct. 1 after a year-long delay caused by the global health crisis.

“We will continue to follow the guidance of the leading science and medical experts, adjusting our measures as appropriate,” Expo 2020 Dubai Director General Reem Al Hashimy said in statement. “This enhanced measure is responsible, agile and necessary as we prepare to open our doors to the world.”

Dubai, which reopened to foreign visitors in July 2020, requires most overseas arrivals to present a negative COVID-19 test before boarding their flight to the emirate.

Those arriving from certain countries are also tested on arrival.

For the Expo, vaccines recognized by a visitor’s home country will be accepted, while polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for COVID-19 will be offered for