Abu Dhabi's new coronavirus swab test rules come in today

Previously, drivers could use cheaper laser tests to pass through the border from Dubai

Drivers wishing to enter Abu Dhabi must now undergo a PCR nasal swab test and show proof of the negative result at the border crossing. AP

New rules requiring commuters entering Abu Dhabi to take a Covid-19 swab test came into force on Thursday.

From August 27, drivers and passengers can only pass through the border from Dubai if they can provide proof of a recent PCR negative test.

The move is part of strengthened measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, after authorities revealed active infections had risen by 10 per cent since the start of the month.

Abu Dhabi introduced a border screening system at the end of June, after a sharp decline in the number of cases and hospital admissions in the emirate.

Initially, only PCR swab test results were accepted, but in early July officials began also permitting people to enter with results from a cheaper diffractive phase interferometry laser test, which cost only Dh50.

People could theoretically use the DPI tests to enter the capital, provided they arranged an appointment to take one.

But that has now changed.

People entering Abu Dhabi from the Dubai border will no longer be able to pass into the emirate using a laser test result alone.

Drivers can still undergo a DPI laser test near Ghantoot – but only if they can present a PCR test result received within the past six days.

The system means commuters could take a PCR swab test at the start of the week, then ‘refresh’ it days later at the Ghantoot screening centre.

But the same type of test cannot be taken twice in a row within six days.

However, commuters hoping to book a laser blood test at Ghantoot to pass through the Abu Dhabi border currently face a wait of more than two weeks.

All slots at the centre on the border are full until mid-September, with the first available appointment on September 15 at 3am.

The number of clinics across the UAE now offering the laser test was recently expanded to take the pressure off the one at Ghantoot, which processes about 6,000 samples per day.

Nearly 6,000 people are tested at the Ghantoot laser centre every day. Antonie Robertson / The National

Medics at the Ghantoot testing centre on the border between Dubai and Abu Dhabi use a laser technique to scan a blood sample for signs of surging red blood cells, which is an early sign the body is fighting off a virus. Antonie Robertson / The National

A medic testing a commuter for Covid-19. Antonie Robertson / The National

The results of the Diffractive Phase Interferometry test, or DPI, which detects viral presence in the blood, including Covid-19, are received in minutes via a text message. Antonie Robertson / The National

The test costs Dh50 and is very quick compared with the PCR test that can take time to get a result. Antonie Robertson / The National

The facility was set up to allow commuters who require a negative Covid-19 test to enter Abu Dhabi. Those with negative results can continue their journey. Antonie Robertson / The National

Centres offering the DPI test include three locations in Abu Dhabi (Zayed Sports City, Corniche, Ghantoot), Al Ain (Al Hili Wedding Hall, Al Hili), Dubai (Mina Rashid, Al Khawaneej) and across the Northern Emirates, at Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club, Emirates Hospitality Centre in Ajman; and in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah).

The PCR test is considered the gold standard for Covid-19 diagnosis. A sample taken from the throat or nose is stripped down in the lab to detect the virus’s genetic material. The test is more laborious, and expensive, at about Dh370.

In the DPI test, a drop of blood is analysed under a laser beam of light for changes in blood cells. A healthy person’s blood cell is perfectly round, but it takes on a scattered appearance in unhealthy cells. The team behind the device said it was 85 to 90 per cent accurate in tests.