COVID-19: New travel measures explained as UAE suspends flights from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Nigeria

Dubai: On December 23, the UAE's National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) announced the suspension of entry for travellers and transit passengers from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. The decision comes into effect from Saturday, December 25, 2021, 7.30pm.

Earlier, NCEMA announced the suspension of flights from seven other countries - South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique.

Exempted categories

However, there are certain categories of travellers who are exempted from the decision on flight suspension. These include:

• Diplomatic missions.

• Golden visa holders.

• Official delegations.

(Including first degree relatives)

Precautionary and preventative measures

The exempted categories of travellers must follow these steps to be able to travel into the UAE:

• PCR test within 48 hours of departure.

• Rapid-PCR test at the airport within six hours of departure.

• PCR test at the airport upon arrival in the UAE.

• 10-day quarantine and a PCR test on the ninth day of entering the UAE required for UAE nationals, their relatives and domestic worker on their sponsorship, diplomatic missions, and Golden Visa holders.

NCEMA also noted that travellers coming from these countries through other countries should have a proof of stay in those counties for a period of stay of no less than 14 days.

Additional requirements for travellers arriving from Uganda and Ghana

Apart from announcing the suspension of flights from the four countries listed above, NCEMA also announced additional measures that travellers need to take when flying in from Uganda and Ghana:

Transit flights

• PCR test within 48 hours of departure.

• Rapid-PCR test at the airport within six hours of departure.

• Rapid-PCR test at the transit airport before entering the UAE.

Direct flights

• PCR test within 48 hours of departure.

• Rapid-PCR test at the airport within six hours of departure.

Travelling to Congo

In the media briefing, NCEMA also announced that UAE citizens are prohibited from travelling to the Republic of Congo, with the exemption of official delegations, medical emergency treatment cases, and students on educational sponsorship.

The authority emphasised on the need to contact travellers affected by the suspensions as well as the relevant airline operators to reschedule flights and ensure their safe return to their final destinations without delay or additional charges.