The United Arab Emirates on May 4, Tuesday, announced that it has extended its ban on the entry for travellers from India. This includes passengers on all flights on national and foreign carriers, as well as for transit passengers coming from India. Only transit flights travelling to the UAE and bound for India will be allowed to land, the UAE said in a statement. This decision also includes extending the suspension of entry for travellers who were in India in the 14-day period prior to arrival in the UAE.
The Gulf nation first announced the ban on Indian travellers on April 25. Although the ban has been extended, it did not announce when the ban will be lifted. The UAE, however, said that flights between the two countries will continue to allow the transport of passengers from the UAE to India and the transfer of exempted groups from India to the UAE.
The exempted group of travellers include UAE citizens, those on diplomatic missions accredited by the two countries, official delegations, those travelling on business planes, and golden residence holders. The passengers in this group will be subject to precautionary measures, which include a 10-day quarantine as well as RT-PCR testing at the airport and on the fourth and eighth days after entering the country.
Moreover, the UAE has also reduced the required PCR testing period prior to travel from 72 to 48 hours (two days), and has said that all tests must be administered by accredited laboratories that issue results with a QR code.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation of the UAE has confirmed that travellers coming from India through other countries are required to provide proof of a period of stay in those countries of no less than 14 days in order to be allowed to enter the UAE. Cargo flights will continue to operate between the two countries.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation called upon all travellers affected by the decision to contact the relevant airlines to reschedule their flights and ensure their safe return to their final destinations without delay.
The UAE reiterated its support for the Republic of India and its tireless efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring its full solidarity with India in these challenging circumstances.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation expressed its condolences to the government and people of India over COVID-19 victims and wished a speedy recovery to all COVID-19 patients and health and safety to the people of India.