The Dubai authorities have decided to tighten the entry rules for foreign tourists from January 31 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the government's press service reported.

According to the new rules, all foreign citizens arriving in Dubai will have to present a certificate with a negative result of a PCR test for coronavirus, made no earlier than 72 hours before departure.

Meanwhile, travelers from a number of countries may need to undergo additional testing in Dubai. The validity period of PCR tests has been reduced from 96 to 72 hours.

According to the latest data, since the beginning of the pandemic, Emirati doctors have reported over 293,000 COVID-19 cases. The country recorded 819 deaths, while over 267,000 patients have recovered.