Transit flights banned into the United Arab Emirates from Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Uganda would be lifted effective Thursday, the National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority has said.
The NECMA is a UAE emergency management agency.
The UAE had in June reintroduced a travel ban on Nigeria barely 48 hours after announcing that air travellers from Nigeria who had taken the compulsory COVID-19 PCR test were allowed to enter the country.
According to a statement by the NECMA on Tuesday, passengers would be allowed to transit through UAE airports from Thursday as long as the negative PCR test taken 72 hours before departure was presented.
The statement said, “Travel for transit passengers from all countries from which transit passengers have been suspended will be resumed in advance provided that the passenger’s last destination is accepted with a laboratory check-up within 72 hours of departure and state airports will allocate special lounges for transit passengers.
“Emergencies, crises and civil aviation announce the exclusion of new categories of passengers from some of the banned countries, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda, as of August 5.
“These categories include those with valid residency permits who have received full vaccination doses in the UAE and 14 days have passed since receiving the second dose and who have vaccination certificates approved by the official authority.
“Medical personnel working in the country will be excluded; including doctors, nurses, technicians from restaurants and non-restaurants, and those working in the educational sector in the country who teach in universities, colleges, schools and institutes; from the vaccinated and non-vaccinated categories.
“Students studying in the country, humanitarian cases who hold valid residency and workers in federal and local government agencies, and cases of completing treatment in the country, whether they are vaccinated or not, will also be excluded.
“All these categories will be required to submit a request on the website of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship to obtain the necessary approvals in addition to the certificates of vaccination certified by the relevant authorities in the country for the categories from which these certificates are required.
“The excluded groups will be obligated to submit a prior PCR test within 48 hours from the date of departure, provided that the tests are from accredited laboratories carrying a QR Code, and conduct a quick laboratory test before boarding the plane.
“In addition to applying precautionary and preventive measures to receive arrivals, including quarantine and PCR checks upon and after arrival, as well as follow-up and health monitoring of arrivals.”
The Secretary of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, Dr Mukhtar Muhammed, had in an interview with The PUNCH said that the Federal Government placed a ban on the UAE airline, Emirates, due to terms and conditions laid down by the airline.
He had said that the Federal Government was not comfortable with the conditions laid down, and as a result flights were restricted from the UAE.
