United Arab Emirates removed from travel corridor list
The United Arab Emirates has been removed from the UK’s travel corridor list following an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country.
From 4am tomorrow, travellers returning to the UK from the UAE — including Dubai and Abu Dhabi — will need to self-isolate for 10 days.
The Department of Transport said the decision had been made following a “significant acceleration” in the number of imported cases, as well as a sharp rise in the number of new reported cases in the UAE.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development also updated its guidance to advise against all but essential travel to the UAE.
The move will come as a major blow for British social media influencers, many of whom have faced criticism in recent weeks after posting photos of trips to Dubai.
It comes after the government introduced new rules requiring all passengers arriving from international destinations to provide a negative Covid-19 test taken up to three days before departure.
“The government has made consistently clear it will take decisive action if necessary to contain the virus, including if the public health risk of people returning from a particular country without self-isolating becomes too high,” the Department of Transport said in a statement.
The new mandatory testing regime, which came into effect 10 months after the pandemic hit the UK, has been welcomed by the beleaguered aviation industry.
However, a string of leading industry figures have urged the government to scrap the quarantine system to help boost passenger numbers.