Christmas came early for many British residents of the UAE after it was announced that those arriving in the UK from the Emirates would no longer have to quarantine.
But because of the high number of Covid-19 cases in the UK, many British families living here have decided to stay in the Emirates for the holidays and have their relatives visit them instead.
That way, they say, they are still able to get together, with a lower risk of catching the virus – and their visitors will receive a welcome dose of winter sunshine to boot.
Those planning to travel to the Emirates include students enrolled at UK universities, who will join their parents and siblings living here on an extended trip, taking advantage of the quarantine-free return to the UK.
It would have been quite a struggle coming back and having to quarantine for two weeks in the last few months of my course
Alix Lockie, 23, who is studying computer arts at Abertay University in Dundee, is one of them.
It will be her second trip to the UAE during the pandemic, having first travelled over in July when Dubai opened to tourists.
“I had to quarantine for two weeks once I got back to the UK,” she said.
But the removal of mandatory quarantine in the UK will make her life easier this time around, she said.
“Being able to go home and see my family for Christmas is really important.
“It would have been quite a struggle coming back and having to quarantine for two weeks in the last few months of my course.”
Ms Lockie's lectures are all being held online but, as a final-year student, she can meet her tutors in person for one-on-one feedback.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do that for the first two weeks if I had to quarantine,” she said.
She hopes to travel to the UAE on December 11 to join her parents and two of her sisters.
“Because I am on an arts-based course, doing that over video would have been a lot more difficult. You can’t really show everything the way you would have been able to show it before.”
Chris Haines’ 19-year-old daughter, a student at Leeds University, has already arrived in the Emirates.
She flew over in early November to be with her family to escape the UK’s weather and Covid-19 restrictions.
“She was depressed and upset,” said Mr Haines, a British citizen who lives in Dubai.
“The reality of being locked in the house back there and not being able to go out and it’s grey, raining and dark. So I said for the sake of £400 ($534), why not come out here?
“Her course was online anyway. Most of the UK unis are at least until February I think,” said Mr Haines, who took part in a discussion on the topic on the British Expats Dubai Facebook page.
She plans to return to the UK on January 11, he said.
Charlotte Drury, 18, studies at the London School of Economics.
She plans to fly out to be with her family next month and has already had the virus, having developed symptoms during her sixth week at university.
The experience was “horrendous,” she said.
“I was ill for 10 days. I felt bad. I think I was unlucky. A lot of my friends got it too but they either weren’t sick at all or didn’t have really bad symptoms. It was bad,” Ms Drury said.
“I had shortness of breath and mainly nausea, which is quite an uncommon symptom.”
She said she was looking forward to seeing her family in Dubai next month. The quarantine-free return means she will be able to spend even longer with them.
“I still obviously would have come home, even if I had to quarantine at both ends I would have come home. I would miss Dubai’s warm weather if I stayed in the UK.”
The view from The National
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Structural%20weaknesses%20facing%20Israel%20economy
%3Cp%3E1.%20Labour%20productivity%20is%20lower%20than%20the%20average%20of%20the%20developed%20economies%2C%20particularly%20in%20the%20non-tradable%20industries.%3Cbr%3E2.%20The%20low%20level%20of%20basic%20skills%20among%20workers%20and%20the%20high%20level%20of%20inequality%20between%20those%20with%20various%20skills.%3Cbr%3E3.%20Low%20employment%20rates%2C%20particularly%20among%20Arab%20women%20and%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jewish%20men.%3Cbr%3E4.%20A%20lack%20of%20basic%20knowledge%20required%20for%20integration%20into%20the%20labour%20force%2C%20due%20to%20the%20lack%20of%20core%20curriculum%20studies%20in%20schools%20for%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jews.%3Cbr%3E5.%20A%20need%20to%20upgrade%20and%20expand%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20particularly%20mass%20transit%20infrastructure.%3Cbr%3E6.%20The%20poverty%20rate%20at%20more%20than%20double%20the%20OECD%20average.%3Cbr%3E7.%20Population%20growth%20of%20about%202%20per%20cent%20per%20year%2C%20compared%20to%200.6%20per%20cent%20OECD%20average%20posing%20challenge%20for%20fiscal%20policy%20and%20underpinning%20pressure%20on%20education%2C%20health%20care%2C%20welfare%20housing%20and%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20which%20will%20increase%20in%20the%20coming%20years.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
