COVID-19: Indians raise concern as more airlines announce new RT-PCR test rule for travel to Dubai

COVID-19: Indians raise concern as more airlines announce new RT-PCR test rule for travel to Dubai

Dubai: Indians from COVID-hit areas back home have raised travel concerns after more airlines announced the new rule that cut short the validity period for pre-departure RT-PCR test reports to 48 hours for flying in to Dubai. Starting April 22, passengers from India to Dubai must carry negative reports of RT-PCR tests taken not more than 48 hours before departure, some Indian airlines, including national carrier Air India and its budget arm Air India Express, had announced on Monday. This will replace the existing stipulation of 72-hour validity for the pre-departure test report. According to the airlines and travel agents, the validity of pre-departure tests for passengers from India to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi remain 72 hours and 96 hours respectively. On Tuesday, UAE carriers Emirates and flydubai joined other Indian carriers such as Indigo, Spicejet and Vistara in announcing the same rule. "Passengers are required to take a COVID 19 PCR test not more than 48 hours before departure," Emirates stated on its website. "[The] UAE will accept [the] Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) laboratory results from any lab authorised by the government of India. Additionally, laboratory results will only be accepted from authorised labs that generate a