Dubai is now among only a small proportion of locations in the world for which there are no current travel restrictions. Following a decision by the UAE Government and Dubai Tourism, travellers from all countries are now welcome to enter Dubai.

All they need to hold is a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate, which has become standard travelling procedure in the COVID-19 era.

This is good news for the many delegates planning to attend Africa Oil Week (AOW) in Dubai in November 2021.

Travellers from most countries will need to show the results of a negative test taken no more than 72 hours before departure. Travellers arriving from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia must follow a slightly different procedure.

These travellers must hold a valid negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate with a QR code issued within 48 hours of the time the sample was collected from an approved health facility. And they must have a rapid PCR test report with a QR code for a test conducted at the departure airport within six hours of departure.

Travellers from selected countries will also be required to take a final test on arrival at Dubai.

“We welcome the easing of restrictions,” says Chris Hall, AOW’s Group Event Director. “They indicate that Dubai is once again open for business and reassure us of our decision to temporarily relocate AOW to Dubai.

For those travelling from the UK, Dubai remains an easier option than South Africa at this stage, as the latter is still on the UK’s red list

“While we look forward to returning to Cape Town in 2022, we believe that this move is in the best interests of our delegates and will help us to run the only safe, in-person energy event for Africa this year.”

AOW is gearing up to welcome some 45 ministers and government leaders representing 66% of African governments, including Ghana, Uganda, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and the Republic of the Congo.

The executive teams of the continent’s major oil and gas players, such as TotalEnergies, Eni, Equinor, Tullow Oil, Perenco, Panoro and Seplat, will also be attending. The potential for meaningful engagement, after a pandemic-induced hiatus, has been welcomed by all.

The easing of travel restrictions, of course, doesn’t mean that either Dubai or AOW will be relaxing their interventions to keep delegates safe.

“Since the start of the pandemic, a robust strategy was implemented with the key priority being to safeguard the health and well-being of our residents and guests,” says Issam Kazim, the CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing.

“We continue to implement the highest standards of hygiene and COVID-19 precautionary measures across the city, with inspectors carrying out venue checks at those establishments awarded the ‘Dubai Assured’ stamp, every two weeks, to ensure ongoing compliance.

“These efforts, along with the progress being made with the rollout of the country-wide vaccine programme, are key to managing the virus and providing peace of mind for residents and visitors..”

“For those travelling from the UK, Dubai remains an easier option than South Africa at this stage, as the latter is still on the UK’s red list,” AOW’s Hall adds.

“The UAE is on the UK’s amber list, which means that fully vaccinated travellers will not need to quarantine when they arrive home.”

Together with its official partners, including Emirates (airline), AOW looks forward to its next event being the start of the return of safe in-person meetings, the world over.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Oil Week.