DUBAI: Health officials in the UAE have announced the COVID-19 safety rules ahead of two national holidays: the nation’s 50th National Day and Commemoration Day. Saif Al-Dhaheri, the official spokesman for the National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority, said attendees of any celebrations will be required to present a negative PCR text conducted within 96 hours of the event’s date and will undergo a temperature check. Face masks will remain mandatory at all times inside closed areas or crowded places, and a 1.5-meter social distance must be maintained, he added. Members of the same family will be allowed to stand together without social distancing. All age groups who received their last vaccine dose 14 or more days before the event will be allowed to enter, along with those who have received a booster shot or can show a Green Pass. The protocol urged people to greet each other from a distance without shaking hands. “We urge everyone to follow the protocols of local authorities and adhere to them, to ensure the health and safety of the community,” he stated. UAE"s National Day falls on Dec. 2 and marks the start of the federal unification of the emirates in 1971. The Commemoration Day, which remembers those who lost their lives serving their country, is makred on Dec. 1.