The UAE's ambassador to Britain said he hopes that a decision by the UK not to establish new travel freedoms between the countries on Friday – when it unveiled its traffic light travel system – will be reconsidered at the "next opportunity".
The UK has a green, amber and red set of categories that govern trips abroad and the need to quarantine on return as part of its pandemic response.
The red list conditions, which impose mandatory hotel stays on British and Irish residents coming back to England and exclude all other nationals, keep families separate, said Mansoor Abulhoul, the ambassador of the UAE to the UK.
"The UAE is currently one of the safest countries in the world in relation to Covid-19," Mr Abulhoul said.
"We have the second-fastest vaccination rate, one of the world’s most intensive testing systems, and are combatting the spread of concerning variants by restricting entry from high-risk countries.
"We are disappointed by this outcome and hope the UAE’s status will be reconsidered at the next opportunity," Mr Abulhoul said.
"Summer is a key season for Emiratis and the hundreds of thousands of Britons living in the UAE to visit the UK. We hope to re-connect the families and friends separated by the pandemic, as well as resume the vital trade and tourism links between our countries.”
England unveiled the details of its traffic light system for international travel from May 17 on Friday.
Twelve countries and territories were included in the green light category, allowing for relatively free travel, but most were categorised as amber, while there is a higher restrictions red tier.
A UAE airport chief recently revealed he made "very strong representations" to the British government to discuss the country's exemplary role as an open international travel hub and how this experience can ensure safer travel between the two countries.
“There are countries on the green list that, we believe, haven’t taken the kind of care and number of measures like we have in Dubai to keep everyone safe,” Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai International Airport, said in a radio interview last week.
“We have made very strong representations to the British government about the credibility of the numbers here and the way we are handling everything."
The UAE has, alongside Britain, been a global leader in inoculation against Covid-19, with each vaccinating more than 52 per cent of its adult population. There are fewer new cases currently reported per 100,000 in the UAE than the figure in the UK on a six-day rolling average.
Mr Griffiths suggested putting together a task force as the facility was ready to “apply rigorous testing and hygiene measures that we have put in place, which are far better than a lot of other places in the world”.
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Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Celtic Prince, David Liska (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).
7.05pm: Conditions Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Commanding, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
7.40pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Grand Argentier, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 2,200m
Winner: Arch Gold, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed Dh265,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
9.25pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Ibn Malik, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
10pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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
Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now