UAE: Mandatory PCR testing every 14 days for government employees, except those who took COVID-19 vaccine

Dubai (Gulf News)

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has announced that employees of all ministries and federal entities will be required to undergo mandatory COVID-19 PCR testing every 14 days starting January 17.

In a circular issued, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources said the decision is part of the government’s efforts to limit the spread of the virus, preserve the health of employees, and keep work environments safe, WAM, the UAE news agency, reported.

The 14-day rule also applies to employees of outsourced and public services companies who are employed on a full-time basis. Employees from advisory and expert services companies that deal with government bodies on a one-off basis will need to present a negative PCR test of no more than three days old.

The circular also stipulated that all employees of ministries and federal entities are to get tested at their own expense, except for those who provide a medical report issued by official health authorities in the country exempting them from taking the vaccine due to an illness or a health condition. In such cases, their employer should cover the costs of the nasal swab test every 14 days.

Those who have taken the COVID-19 vaccine are exempt from the new regulations, the circular added.

The circular reminded that the COVID-19 vaccine is available free of charge in all government health centers across all the country, as well as in some private hospitals.

The authority also requested all federal ministries and entities to encourage their employees to get inoculated, especially senior citizens and those with chronic diseases.

According to Dr Farida Al Hosani, Official Spokesperson for the UAE Health Sector, approximately eight per cent of the country’s total population has received the Covid-19 vaccine.

“We aim to reach more than 50 per cent of the country’s population during the first quarter of this year,” she said. “This will help us reduce cases in general, reduce critical cases in particular, and control the disease better in the next phase.”

By January 5, more than 826,000 Covid-19 vaccines have been administered, the equivalent of 47,000 doses per day, and eight per cent of the country’s total population.