DUBAI: All holders of valid UAE resident visas can return to the country once they have received the all clear from their coronavirus tests, according to guidelines shared on social media.

The individuals can return through any local airport once the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, GDRFA, issues a permit on receiving a negative coronavirus PCR test.

But existing travel restrictions the UAE and other countries will continue to be enforced, director general of the organization Mohammed Al-Marri added.

Residents whose visas expired must renew them before leaving the UAE if they plan to return, Al-Marri said.

The Major General was answering questions from the public and media through a series of videos on Dubai Media Office’s social media accounts under the new #AskDXBOfficial initiative. 

Al-Marri also had words of reassurance for those who had received residency fines related to overstaying after job cuts.

“To all those who have accumulated fines, please do not assume you cannot exit the country. We at Dubai Airports and GDRFA will handle each humanitarian case individually and facilitate their travel,” he added.

The number of passengers at Dubai Airports is increasing at an average of around 5 percent, Al-Marri said.