COVID-19: Dubai Police reunite British student with family

Dubai: A British mother was reunited with her daughter who was stuck in Liverpool, in the UK, for more than six weeks due to coronavirus-imposed travel restrictions thanks to Dubai police.

Twenty-one-year-old Emily is a British psychology student who was studying in a Liverpool university when the COVID-19 travel restrictions kicked in just as she was getting ready to head back to Dubai, where her mother Jenny Sutton lives, for Spring break.

According to Sutton, Dubai police responded to her plea to return her daughter to the UAE when she contacted them. 

“I was worried about her health as she couldn’t leave her room in Liverpool. Dubai police heard about her case and decided to help and returned her. Police were so amazingly wonderful. I’m extremely happy that my daughter returned to Dubai,” Sutton said.

“We had so much support from all the authorities in Dubai, I want to cry of happiness.”

Emily was tested for the novel coronavirus and placed in quarantine on her arrival at Dubai International Airport as a safety measure.

Sutton welcomed her daughter from a safe distance after Emily was tested, according to Dubai Police.

Emily, who had lived in Dubai for 12 years before leaving, expressed her happiness upon arrival and thanked the police.

“I’m really happy to be back home, Dubai police were very helpful and helped me through [the entire] process. Thank you Dubai police,” Emily said in a video published by Dubai Police.

The British family had registered with the ‘Tawajidi’ service for residents trapped outside the UAE and received help in getting Emily back.