The cost of PCR testing has been reduced to Dh40 across Abu Dhabi. The Department of Health Abu Dhabi announced the news on its Instagram page, saying the decision was effective from March 1. The price of PCR testing has been consistently lowered since the start of the pandemic, when the standard cost was Dh370 per test. That was reduced to Dh250 in the September of 2020, then to Dh180, and still further to Dh65 in late 2020. It stood at Dh50 until the most recent change. Abu Dhabi performs regular mass screening for Covid in workplaces and across the general population. The <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2022/02/28/al-hosn-green-pass-no-longer-required-after-abu-dhabi-updates-border-rules/" target="_blank">Al Hosn green pass system</a>, which permits entry to many public places in the emirate, requires regular PCRs to maintain green status. The validity of the green pass was reduced from 30 days to 14 at the start of December, when the Omicron wave took hold, meaning people had to test every two weeks. On Friday, the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2022/02/26/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-uaes-easing-of-covid-19-rules/">UAE government said it had begun unwinding many restrictions </a>that had been in place for almost two years as the country recovers from the pandemic. The decisions ended quarantine for close contacts, replacing it with daily testing for five days, and made face masks optional outside, <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2022/02/28/al-hosn-green-pass-no-longer-required-after-abu-dhabi-updates-border-rules/">among other changes</a>. But the 14 day green pass validity remains.
