Coronavirus: Dubai launches home testing service

Free testing for most vulnerable as permit restrictions lifted

Empty roads in Dubai Marina in mid-April. 24 hour restrictions on leaving home which were in place since March were eased for Ramadan, allowing people to leave home from 6am to 10pm. Pawan Singh / The National

A pedestrian wearing a mask crosses the main street on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

A police barrier stands in front of Atlantis Hotel, one of the largest hotels in the country. Pawan Singh / The National

The tunnel underneath the palm is usually packed with traffic on a Friday. Pawan Singh / The National

A solitary shopper walks past the yachts quay at Dubai Marina. Pawan Singh / The National

A resident looks out from his apartment building in Dubai Marina. Pawan Singh / The National

A security guard takes the body temperature of a delivery driver in the Al Furjan suburb. Pawan Singh / The National

Talabat delivery drivers, who have permission to operate at all times of day, collect their orders in Dubai Marina. Pawan Singh / The National

A sign in Fujairah urges people to 'stay home' as people do their shopping. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A Dubai Police officer stops the vehicles and checks for permit to leave home near Dubai's Madinat Jumeirah. Pawan Singh / The National

A man has his body temperature reading taken upon arriving at the police station of Naif in Dubai. AFP

The closed open air gym at Skydive Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

Dibba Al Hisn’s seafood market. Reem Mohammed / The National

A sign warns people to stay home along the Dubai Marina. Antonie Robertson / The National

Dubai on Friday launched a mobile testing service to carry out free coronavirus screening at home for the elderly and most vulnerable, after slightly easing strict controls on movement.

The new "Mobile Laboratory Units" are converted ambulances fitted with auto-sterilisation equipment, thermal scanners and safe storage cabins for samples, state news agency WAM reported.

They will "play a key role in reducing pressure on hospitals amidst the Covid-19 crisis and help protect people at high risk," it said.

Dubai and fellow members of the United Arab Emirates decided Thursday to reopen malls, cafes and restaurants and to ease lockdown restrictions imposed last month to prevent the spread of the illness.

The measures were timed for the start on Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.

The UAE has declared more than 9,000 cases of the Covid-19 illness, with 64 deaths.

The government of Dubai eased restrictions on personal travel on Friday, allowing free movement during the day for the first time since early April.

Dubai has also authorised public transport, including its metro, to resume services from Sunday.

Residents are however required to wear face masks at all times, with violators facing a Dh1000 fine.

Dubai, home to more than three million people, had faced the strictest restrictions in the UAE, with residents requiring an online permit from police to leave home to buy essentials from supermarkets and pharmacies.