DUBAI: The National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA) said on Tuesday the United Arab Emirates will allow transit passenger traffic from India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and other countries from August 5.
The UAE, a major international travel hub, has banned passengers from many South Asian and African countries for several months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
NCEMA said on Twitter that passengers travelling from countries where flights had been suspended would be able to transit through its airports from Thursday as long as they present negative PCR tests taken 72 hours prior to departure.
#الطوارئ_والأزمات و #الطيران_المدني تعلنان عن استثناء فئات جديدة من المسافرين من بعض الدول التي تم منع القدوم منها والتي تشمل كلاً من الهند وباكستان وسيريلانكا والنيبال ونيجيريا وأوغندا وذلك اعتباراً من تاريخ 5 أغسطس.#يدا_بيد_نتعافى pic.twitter.com/NB2hEJdKzN
— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) August 3, 2021
Final destination approval would also have to be submitted, the authority said, adding that UAE departure airports would arrange separate lounges for transiting passengers.
The transit ban had also included Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Uganda.
NCEMA said that a ban on entry to the UAE for passengers from these countries would also be lifted for those with valid residencies and who are certified by Emirati authorities as fully vaccinated.
However, they would have to apply for online entry permits prior to travelling and would need to present a negative PCR test taken 48 hours prior to departure.
Travel for transit passengers from Pakistan will be resumed, provided that the traveler’s last destination is accepted with submission of laboratory examination within 72 hours from the time of departure, and the UAE’s airports will allocate special lounges for transit passengers
— UAE Embassy PK (@uaeembassyisb) August 3, 2021
Those working in the medical, educational or government sectors in the Gulf Arab state, as well as those studying or completing medical treatment in the UAE, would be exempt from the vaccination requirement as would humanitarian cases.
The UAE had on July 15 withdrawn its requirement binding all Pakistani travellers to get their Covid-19 vaccination certificates attested by the Foreign Office and the UAE embassy starting August 1, hours after news of the condition became public.
The order was withdrawn after the Foreign Office had taken up the matter with UAE authorities.
