Abu Dhabi International Airport is set to launch a first-of-its-kind initiative, PCR testing, with instant results from the 15th of November. Samples will be collected at an enclosed area outside Terminal 3 from the passengers coming to the country. The test results will be provided in 30 minutes by the time the passengers go through the immigration process and collect their baggage,. Adding to this provision, a world-class waiting hall with facilities like seating areas, separate sofas for families, a vending machine, television sets, toilets, and the PCR result collection area is established.
Dr. ParthaProtim Banerjee, CEO of the patient management for the project, said the initiative aims to detect Covid-19 positive cases, contain the spread of the infection, and make Abu Dhabi completely secure for everyone. “The level of vision, thinking, planning, and implementation of this initiative is exemplary. The entire world should notice the dedication and commitment of the Abu Dhabi Government. I think this is the first such initiative at any airport in the world,” Khaleej Times quoted Dr. Banerjee.
He noted that along with the airport, the Supreme Council for National Security, the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), Abu Dhabi Police, Pure Health and Tamouh Health Care, International Holdings Company, and other departments and agencies, and private players are also involved in making the initiative a success.
The entire exercise is impeccably organised – from a collection of arrival samples to proving the result and the quarantine and isolation process afterward. Passengers will make their way to the waiting hall through a dedicated passage with posters depicting Abu Dhabi’s history – the old passport office, airport, first road at Qasr Al Hosn, and priceless memories of the visionary Founding Leader, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Once the sample is collected, passengers will be given a bar code. They will then move to the waiting area to spend a maximum of 30 minutes until their number is called. The entire process may take 75 to 90 minutes. Multiple layers of staff from different nationalities are on-board to cater to the diverse passengers. There will be up to 20 staff members every shift. The latest project is yet another statement of intent by the Abu Dhabi Government to contain the pandemic. The door-to-door testing continues in the city and is extended to densely populated areas too.
