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Abu Dhabi airport to offer free COVID-19 tests with results in 90 minutes

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Hayley Coyle Hayley Coyle is the Features Editor for The Points Guy U.K. She is a former tabloid newspaper journalist and is currently renovating a cottage in Yorkshire and baking enormously fattening cakes. Not at the same time.
March 09, 2021
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3 min read
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Abu Dhabi airport to offer free COVID-19 tests with results in 90 minutes
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Passengers arriving at Abu Dhabi International Airport will be offered a free COVID-19 test with results available in just 90 minutes, it has been reported.

The in-airport rapid testing facility is the first of its kind in the region and the Abu Dhabi government also claims the tests are among the fastest in the world.

The lab can handle up to 20,000 people a day, and all passengers arriving through terminals 1 and 3 will be tested before their results being sent to them via Whatsapp, text or on an app.

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Abu Dhabi by night. (Photo by Buena Vista Images/Getty Images)

According to local news outlet the Khaleej Times, it will be a 24-hour operation with 190 staff working in rotation.

“The fact that this is the first airport in the region to contain its own dedicated PCR testing laboratory is testament to our commitment ... to continuously innovate and look for new ways to deliver a safe, smooth and seamless travel experience for all our passengers.

Related: Abu Dhabi has reopened to tourism

“The new fast testing facility ... will not only enable passengers to confidently travel to Abu Dhabi but significantly enhance the efficiency of our operations while supporting global efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19," Shareef Hashim Al Hashmi, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said in a statement.

(Photo by Jackyenjoyphotography/Getty Images)

After testing, if passengers are from the Emirates' "green list" -- the U.S. is not currently on it -- and test negative for coronavirus, they will not have to quarantine. Everyone else will have to self-isolate for 10 days while wearing a "quarantine wristband" obtained from the PCR testing tent attached to the airport.

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Scores of British influencers and reality stars were recently blasted for jetting into Dubai and Abu Dhabi during lockdown claiming they were there or "work reasons".

They were even criticised by Home Secretary Priti Patel in the U.K. Houses of Commons for "showing off in the sun". Both Abu Dhabi and Dubai have since been taken off the U.K.'s travel corridor.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for somewhere else to go, check out our constantly updated country-by-country guide for more on when your destination of choice plans to welcome guests.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.