By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: Most countries including Kuwait have cancelled the request of PCR tests for vaccinated passengers when arriving to the country. Few countries including Mexico do not require the PCR test from any passenger even if not vaccinated.

Usually, the airline demands the PCR test according to the requirement of the destination. Yet, some travelers reported that although they were vaccinated and the destination country did not require a PCR test, the airline they used demanded a PCR test prior to boarding, explaining that the measure was to protect the crew.

Kuwait Times contacted several airlines to verify this information. Several airlines including Qatar Airways, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, British Airways, and Kuwait Airways assured that they stick to the requirements of the destination country. They all agreed that if the country of destination does not require a PCR test, then the carrier won’t require this test from the passengers. On the other hand, some airlines may still request a PCR test even if the destination country does not request it, or if the passenger does not enter the transit country such as Saudi Airlines.

Most countries require either a certificate of being fully vaccinated, or a PCR test for the non-vaccinated, which is also the case in Kuwait. Yet some countries still do require both such as Jordan, who had announced that they will lift this request at the end of this month. It is always recommended that passengers call the airline on which they are flying and ask about the requirements before the flight’s date. Furthermore, passengers are always advised to read all information included in the ticket, especially those related to COVID-19 procedures.