UAE authorities have announced that Emiratis are prohibited from travelling to countries the UAE has banned entry from, including India, Pakistan and South Africa.
Other countries on the list include: Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Namibia, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation and the National Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Management Authority on Thursday said it came as travel season began in earnest and amid the exceptional circumstances the Covid-19 pandemic has brought.
Both entities said that UAE diplomatic missions in the countries; emergency treatment cases; official delegations; and previously authorised business and technical delegates were exempt from the decision.
They also urged UAE citizens to follow all measures regarding Covid-19 and adhere to isolation rules should they test positive during their travels. They also have to notify the UAE embassies in their host countries if they get infected.
The ministry also called on citizens to register in the "twajudi" service before their travel.
Earlier in the week, Etihad Airways said a ban on travellers from four South Asian countries where the highly infectious Delta variant of Covid-19 was detected will continue for three more weeks.
In the UAE, one third of cases (33.9 per cent) were the Delta variant, officials said.
The national airline said restrictions on passengers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would remain in place until July 21.
The number of new daily cases has fallen in India but the country’s authorities continue to report tens of thousands a day.
