COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – Denmark has temporarily suspended all flights from the United Arab Emirates for five days after suspicion arose that the coronavirus tests that could be obtained before leaving Dubai were unreliable, authorities announced on Friday .
The development, which is taking place amid a resurgence of infections in the UAE, is a direct challenge to the mass testing regime that has been the pillar of the country’s coronavirus response and economic reopening. Dubai was one of the first destinations in the world to be opened to tourists, welcoming visitors from all over with just a coronavirus test.
The Danish Minister of Transport, Benny Engelbrecht, said the decision had been made to have the matter thoroughly investigated and to ensure that the test was carried out properly.
“We can not ignore such a suspicion,” Engelbrecht said, adding that the ban went into effect Thursday night.
The Danish authorities have faced a ‘concrete and serious civil investigation’ into how the tests are being conducted at Dubai’s entrances and exits, and ‘therefore we must be absolutely sure that there are no problems.’
Engelbrecht said that at least ‘one citizen’ ‘brings back the South African variant of the virus’ from Dubai’. He did not further identify that person. Dubai has seen an increase in the number of South Africans as the country’s economy has deteriorated over the past few years.
The Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet said on Friday that there was a second report on alleged sloppy virus tests in Dubai, citing Engelbrecht as “the information seems accurate and valid.”
Since January 9, Denmark has required all passengers arriving in the Scandinavian country to have a negative coronavirus test or proof that they recently had COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, to spread the virus. to limit.
In response to the move, the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency issued a statement from a Foreign Ministry official stressing that “all accredited UAE testing centers are regularly subject to strict quality controls.”
Emirates authorities are currently communicating with their Danish counterparts to clarify the reasons behind the suspicion surrounding the virus testing, adding the statement, pointing out that the government has imposed severe penalties for violations of international testing standards.
On January 8, Denmark’s Foreign Ministry advised against all foreign travel, including business travel. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told local media on Tuesday that ‘there is a reason why we all really ask not to travel. It’s really important that everyone listens. ”
“There is a risk of bringing (virus) mutations to Denmark,” she said. “It can undermine our epidemic control and thus infect others and what is worse.”
Over the past few days, several Danish celebrities, socialists and influencers – such as former boxer Mikkel Kessler, former soccer international Nicklas Bendtner and table tennis player Michael Maze – have traveled to Dubai and posted photos of themselves on social media.
Lea Hvidt Kessler, the wife of the former super-middleweight world champion, wrote on Instagram that no one in their family who traveled to Dubai before Christmas was infected. According to media in Denmark, there are currently 85 Danish nationals and about 800 permanent Danish residents in Dubai.
When the UAE broke its 11th consecutive daily infection record with 3,552 new cases on Friday, Dubai’s state-run media office began announcing strict new limits for weddings, social events and private parties next Wednesday, limiting all gatherings to ten immediate family members. Wedding parties at hotels and other venues were previously limited to 200.
On the same day, Dubai ordered all gyms and restaurants to increase the physical space between pupils and eateries. The city also immediately stopped all “entertainment activities” on boats and floating restaurants – a popular pastime in the city. Tourists and celebrities regularly show off their holidays on social media and post photos of awkward, champagne-soaked champagne that has splashed across pony newspapers over the past few weeks. A day earlier, Dubai had suspended all live bands and performances at nightclubs and pubs in the city after hospitals had to suspend operations to deal with the influx of new COVID-19 patients.
Tourists have flocked to Dubai in recent weeks, despite the raging pandemic that has escaped the home. The dazzling city-state, with an economy built primarily on tourism, aviation and retail, has promoted itself as an ideal pandemic vacation spot. Apart from the ubiquitous masks and hand sanitizers, there is a sense of pre-pandemic normality in the crowded pubs, massive shopping malls and luxury hotels.
Daily infections that have skyrocketed, having nearly tripled since November, could not be normal, even as more contagious variants of the coronavirus have spread worldwide. The United Kingdom, which, like Denmark, sent a slew of reality TV and sports stars to Dubai, closed its journey with the UAE earlier this month.
Since the start of the pandemic, the UAE has built its coronavirus response to an ‘early detection strategy’, using Chinese-made coronavirus test kits to launch one of the world’s best test campaigns at a time when other countries are struggling to obtain and administer PCR tests. As of Friday, the country of about 9 million has done about 24.2 million coronavirus tests.
The U.S. Department of State has earlier expressed concern about Chinese testing materials was not accurate, without providing evidence on the allegation.
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Associated Press author Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.