Is Dubai Safe to Travel?

Dubai, the UAE’s second largest and the most popular emirate, recently announced that it will open its borders for international tourists from July 7, 2020. There is no doubt that Dubai is a sought after tourist spot year-round, mainly for its crime-free environment, top-notch cleanliness standards, avant-garde sights, and its tolerance and respect towards all religions and communities. But, if you’re planning for a Dubai trip in the current pandemic scenario, the first thing that pops into your mind is ‘

Is it safe to visit Dubai

?’ The answer is a resounding YES.

Covid-19 In Dubai – Surge And Plummet

The first COVID-19 positive case in the UAE was reported in January 2020. But it was quick to take action as the nation went into complete lockdown and curfew by mid-March 2020. As with the other parts of the world, the number of positive cases in Dubai swelled through April – May. Al though most other countries was hit by second and third waves, the figures soon began to decline in Dubai and the UAE with the Government’s highly strict and super attentive preventive techniques including a national sterilization programme and the mass COVID-19 testing campaign – all balanced out with reflective humanitarian initiatives.

Once it saw a significant plummet in the number of positive cases and incredible hike in recoveries, the nation as the first step lifted some of its restriction from May 27, 2020. Later it allowed the return of Dubai residents struck in their home countries and further gave nod to all residents and citizens for outbound travel (effective from June 23, 2020), provided they adhere to all strict safety and preventive guidelines. So with all effective measures in place to contain this pandemic, it seems that Dubai is now gradually yet sensibly on its road to normality.

The UAE has been recently ranked Among the World’s 20 Safest Countries in the Pandemic Phase.

Yes, in the process of combating this deadly virus, Dubai has achieved certain significant milestones. As per a comprehensive report put out by the prestigious Deep Knowledge Group (DKG), the UAE came in the 11th position, beating highly developed 89 countries across the world in this overall list of 100 countries. The UAE came ahead of Canada, Hong Kong, Norway and Denmark, however ranked just behind Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea.

This extensive report has been mainly developed to analyze the economic, social and health stability of countries in this pandemic phase. This was based on about 130 quantitative and qualitative parameters and took into consideration the government’s efficiency in handling this pandemic, along with other aspects such as its quarantine facilities, availability of hospitals, the virus detection and combat against it, emergency backup plans, and total mortality rates.

Moreoover, Dubai Has All Right Reasons To Be Happy.

We didn’t say this just like that! According to the World Happiness Report that came out in March 2020, Dubai has retained its status as the happiest country in the Arab region for the sixth time in a row. Apart from these, Abu Dhabi and Dubai was declared as the happiest Arab cities. In the overall list of 155 plus countries, the UAE’s reached the 21st position.

Important Things To Note For Your Dubai Travel After July 7, 2020

In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 ensure the utmost safety of its visitors, the international travelers should adhere to the following guidelines.

• Apply for the right visa (only if you’re not qualified for any visa exemption or a visa on arrival)
• Register your details at COVID-19 DXB app
• Complete the Health Declaration Form
• Don’t forget to carry your International Health Insurance
• Bring the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test result in order to submit at the airport. Make sure that you’ve undergone this test four days before your arrival in Dubai or the UAE.
• If you don’t have the PCR test reports, you’ll be required to take this test as soon as you land at the UAE’s airport, apart from the normal thermal screening procedures.
• If you display any COVID-19 symptoms or in case the test result is positive, you’ll have to self-isolate for 14 days in a government arranged facility and further adhere to all precautions and medications as directed by your competent medical team in Dubai / UAE.
• Now if you need health care assistance in this pandemic time, you can rely on the UAE’s many innovative smart solutions such as Virtual Doctor for COVID-19, the ALHOSN UAE app, TraceCovid app etc.

General Safety Guidelines

The UAE government has also outlined quite a lot of hygiene rules and practices which the visitors should strictly abide by while in Dubai.

• Avoid crowd and strictly follow the social distancing norm of two meters gap
• Wear masks in public places
• Don’t mingle with sick people
• Disinfect your hands in regular intervals by washing them for at least 20 seconds using soap and water or alternatively use an alcohol based sanitizer for the purpose
• Don’t touch surfaces in public places
• Skip front seat and sit in the rear seat on your taxi ride

Conclusion

With the borders of UAE all set to open and all major flights including Emirates gearing up to get back in action, it’s now evident that Dubai is a low-risk or probably one of the safest destinations to travel in this time, just as the relevant studies point out.