The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) has issued new safety protocols, mandating unvaccinated residents to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test to be able to enter federal government departments. The FAHR added that the test must be conducted within 48 hours of entry to the department and the result must be displayed through the Al Hosn app.

In a circular, the UAE’s human resources authority said the new rules will come into effect from August 1. Furthermore, it called on unvaccinated employees to undergo weekly mandatory PCR testing to ensure maximum safety on the premises.

Unvaccinated government employees are required to bear the cost of the PCR tests, unless they present a medical report exempting them from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine due to an underlying health condition or illness.

The FAHR has also clarified that those individuals who have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be permitted to visit ministries, federal departments and customer service centres across the UAE.

As per the FAHR circular, these categories will be allowed to enter the ministries and other federal departments:

· Fully vaccinated customers or visitors who have received both doses of the vaccine.

· Unvaccinated customers presenting a negative PCR test result valid for a period of 48 hours.

· Unvaccinated persons presenting a vaccine exemption certificate from any competent health authority. They are also required to present a negative PCR test result with a validity for 48 hours.

· People under the age of 16 are excluded from the new protocols.

As per the latest global statistics, the UAE is ranking first worldwide in terms of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered across the country, at a rate of 158.24 doses per 100 people. The UAE has administered more than 15.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since the launch of its nationwide vaccination campaign last year. As of now, the UAE has vaccinated approximately 72.1 percent of its population on the basis of the two-dose regimen, according to the data published by Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker.

In addition, the UAE has tested more people per capita against COVID-19 than most nations and has one of the lowest fatality rates in the world.

During a government media briefing, Dr. Farida Al Hosani, official spokesperson of the UAE Health Sector and Director of the Communicable Diseases Department of the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC), underlined that the country has been reporting a decrease in the number of COVID-19 infections in recent weeks. This highlights the UAE health sector’s continuous efforts and ability to combat the spread of the virus in the country and implement the best methodologies to ensure early detection of cases and rapid response in line with the best international standards.