THE NATIONAL CRISIS & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY AND RAS AL KHAIMAH PREVENTIVE MEDICINE DEPARTMENT JOIN RAS AL KHAIMAH TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ONGOING EFFORTS TO ENSURE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF HOSPITALITY SECTOR EMPLOYEES

• The National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority and Ras Al Khaimah Preventive Medicine Department provide free COVID-19 PCR testing for all hospitality staff in the Emirate
• Part of the ongoing enhanced safety measures implemented by the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) across the Tourism and Hospitality sectors
• Emirate certified as safe by Bureau Veritas and has received the Safe Travels Stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has partnered with the National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) and Ras Al Khaimah Preventive Medicine Department (PMD), in its ongoing programme to provide hospitality sector employees in the Emirate with free COVID-19 PCR testing. This partnership complements the Authority’s existing efforts in implementing the highest safety and precautionary measures as restrictions on domestic and international tourism are eased, and inbound visitation to Ras Al Khaimah continues to rise.

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority has been overseeing regular COVID-19 screenings for hospitality staff at the Emirate’s hotels, and through this partnership with NCEMA and the PMD, further free testing will be provided to ensure the safety of guests and employees alike.

Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority comments, “Our industry has been resilient in the face of challenging times, and we have unveiled a series of strategies, from the Tourism Support Initiatives to earning recognition as the first safe city worldwide and the first safe Emirate to be certified by Bureau Veritas and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), respectively.  These measures ensure that our sector partners can continue to operate successfully as we enter the ‘new normal’. Ongoing testing for hospitality staff is an important step in our efforts to reaffirm to our visitors that the Emirate has taken and continues to take extensive measures to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of guests and residents.

“We would like to thank the National Emergency and Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, Ras Al Khaimah Medical District, Emirates Red Crescent – Ras Al Khaimah, and Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone Authority – RAKEZ for their continuous support and offering further free COVID-19 screenings for hospitality sector employees. Together we can mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic and come out of this situation stronger than before,”  Phillips added.

Mahra Mohammad Bin Sray, Logistics Support and Field Examination Officer at Ras Al Khaimah Medical District said: “Conducting regular COVID-19 tests is a mandatory procedure to flatten the curve and control the number of cases nation-wide. With visitors returning to Ras Al Khaimah, we must ensure that all individuals working in the hospitality sectors are regularly tested and abide by the necessary precautionary measures.  Being able to conduct these tests wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority who facilitated a smooth communication with its hotel partners. The cooperation we have witnessed from the hospitality sector has also been highly admirable”.

Hospitality staff testing is conducted to align with global best practices and enhance the safety measures in place across the 45 hotels in the Emirate, as part of RAKTDA’s ‘Stay Safe’ Hotel Certification. Strict adherence is maintained with federal directives, guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation as well as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the recommendations of internally recognised third party certification providers. This has resulted in the Emirate being certified as safe by Bureau Veritas, as well as its achievement of the Safe Travels Stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).