Abu Dhabi airport to offer free PCR tests on arrival with results in 90 minutes

All arriving passengers at Abu Dhabi International Airport will be offered a free PCR test, with results available in 90 minutes.

The lab is located inside the airport and will test samples for quick results.

The new fast RT-PCR testing service has been launched with Pure Health labs and Tamouh Healthcare.

Passengers arriving through terminals 1 and 3 will be tested.

Results of the tests will be shared by SMS and WhatsApp and will be available on the Al Hosn mobile app.

Passengers who receive a negative result and are from the list of "green" countries specified by the government of Abu Dhabi will not have to self-isolate.

Those not from the green list will have to self-isolate for 10 days, and will require a quarantine wristband fitted at the PCR testing tent at the airport.

Participants in the National Vaccination Programme and Phase III clinical trials who have an identification mark – a letter E or a gold star – on Al Hosn app are exempt from self-quarantine procedures.

Passengers transiting through the airport will not be tested.

There will be more than 190 medics at the airport and the lab has the capacity to test more than 20,000 travellers and staff daily.

Originally published in December, the green list is updated regularly, with the most recent change taking place on Monday.

There are now 13 destinations included on Abu Dhabi's travel list. Inclusion is dependent upon the latest developments regarding a country’s Covid-19 protocols and guidelines.

These destinations are: Australia, Bhutan, Brunei, China, Greenland, Hong Kong, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Morocco, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.

All international travellers to Abu Dhabi must present a negative PCR test result and take a second PCR test upon entering the capital.

Not all countries on Abu Dhabi's green list are open for tourism. Travellers should check individual destination requirements.

As of March 4, here are the Covid-19 rules in Abu Dhabi:

Diners are limited to four per table, even for family members living in the same home
Malls are limited to 40 per cent capacity
Restaurants, cafes, hotels and public beaches and parks cannot have more than 60 per cent of their typical number of visitors
Gyms, private beaches and swimming pools cannot be more than half full
Cinemas have been closed
Public transport, such as taxis and buses, are limited to 45 per cent and 75 per cent capacity, respectively
Up to 10 family members can gather together but they must wear face masks and remain at least two metres apart
Parties and other social gatherings have been banned
Entry to Abu Dhabi requires either a DPI or PCR test taken within a certain time of travel to the emirate from another part of the country
A DPI test result is valid for 24 hours to enter Abu Dhabi but cannot be used to enter Abu Dhabi on two consecutive occasions. If the individual stays in Abu Dhabi for more than 48 hours will have to take PCR test on day three of entry, and a second PCR on day seven, if they remain in the emirate for a week or more. The day of entry to Abu Dhabi is considered day one
A PCR test result must be received within 48 hours of entry into the capital. If the person stays in Abu Dhabi for four days or more, they must take another PCR test on day four and day eight

The countries on Abu Dhabi's 'green' list

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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: ARDH Collective

Based: Dubai

Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi

Sector: Sustainability

Total funding: Self funded

Number of employees: 4

THE LOWDOWN

Romeo Akbar Walter

Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem

Rating: 4/5

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3.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m

Winner MH Tawag, Bernardo Pinheiro, Elise Jeanne.

4pm Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 2,000m

Winner Skygazer, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

4.30pm The Ruler of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh250,000 1,700m

Winner AF Kal Noor, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.

5pm Sharjah Marathon (PA) Dh70,000 2,700m

Winner RB Grynade, Bernardo Pinheiro, Eric Lemartinel.

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Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk

“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”

“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”

“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”

“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”

THE SPECS

Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre

Transmission: Seven-speed auto

Power: 165hp

Torque: 241Nm

Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000

On sale: now

Muguruza's singles career in stats

WTA titles 3

Prize money US$11,128,219 (Dh40,873,133.82)

Wins / losses 293 / 149

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Try out the test yourself

Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer

Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer

Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer

The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).

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