Photo used for illustrative purposes.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

UAE nationals are advised not to travel to 15 countries that were previously under the travel restricted list of countries due to the surge in COVID-19 infections.

The list includes India, Pakistan, and Nepal.

The UAE government has taken the measures to protect citizens from the coronavirus disease.

The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said that the decision was taken on safety grounds.

The aviation body said, “This safety decision applies to all aircraft operators conducting flights from/to the UAE.”

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The list includes:

a) Afghanistan

b) Bangladesh

c) Democratic Republic of Congo

d) India

e) Liberia

f) Namibia

g) Nepal

h) Nigeria

i) Pakistan

j) Uganda

k) Sierra Leone

l) South Africa m) Sri Lanka

n) Vietnam

o) Zambia

With the surge in COVID-19 variants, the UAE aviation body imposed new flight and passengers’ restrictions.

 A general view of Dubai airport.

The government of UAE is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and will provide further updates and instructions as and when necessary, the GCAA said.

The authorities said Emiratis can only travel if on a UAE official visit, seeking medical treatment, and have diplomatic immunity.

The citizens are advised to follow and know all health regulations and instructions for the Covid-19 virus issued in the destination country before travelling.

They are advised to adhere to the directions of the government in the destination country regarding COVID-19.

Emiratis returning to UAE:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation advises the UAE citizens to make sure to obtain all requirements and instructions for the desired country before travelling and to adhere to all preventive measures applied at the destination and upon returning to the UAE, Emiratis must follow the precautionary measures.

Everyone must have the AlHosn app.

All UAE nationals returning to the UAE from any country are exempt from the pre‑departure COVID‑19 PCR test requirements but must take a PCR test on arrival.

In the event that a citizen is injured, he must go to the nearest emergency centre and contact the UAE mission in the destination country.

Compliance with current UAE local and federal regulations regarding COVID-19 guidelines may require different additional actions depending on the country's situation (eg countries with medium and high-risk categories).

They should comply with the preventive measures and directives related to the COVID-19 virus at the airport (such as wearing a mask, physical distancing, and temperature check).