COVID: UAE imposes entry ban on travellers from 3 countries

The UAE to suspend the entry of travellers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Namibia on national and foreign flights from Monday (June 21), the country's National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority and Civil Aviation (NCEMA) and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) announced on Saturday.

The new travel updates will also include transit passengers coming from these countries, however, excludes transit flights coming to the UAE and heading to these three countries. Cargo flights will continue to operate between the three countries, NCEMA's twitter post noted.

The state-run news agency WAM cited the authorities' decision of exempting UAE nationals, diplomats, delegations, business travellers with prior approval, golden and silver residency visa holders, employees of crucial jobs according to the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) from the latest directive. Those granted entry permit will have to take a PCR test at the airport upon arrival and repeat the tests on the fourth and eighth days of entering the country as well as undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine in the UAE.

Travellers coming from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Namibia through other countries are required to stay for at least 14 days in those countries before applying to enter into the UAE and submit the evidence documenting their stay on arrival, GCAA noted. The authority advised all travellers affected by the decision to contact the relevant airlines to reschedule their flights without delay.