Covid-19: Travel ban to be lifted for unvaccinated Emiratis in UAE

Beginning Tuesday, April 19, unvaccinated UAE citizens will be permitted to travel abroad, provided they present a negative PCR test result taken 48 hours before their departure, and complete the travel application form on the Al Hosn app to change their status to green.

The announcement was made at a press briefing by Dr. Taher Al Ameri, official spokesman of the National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA), according to state news agency WAM.

The UAE had previously put into place a travel ban from January 10 this year on Emiratis who are not vaccinated against Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Dr. Al Ameri added in the press briefing that there were also updates made to the travel protocols for unvaccinated passengers arriving in the UAE.

Accordingly, unvaccinated individuals under the age of 16 no longer need to undergo a PCR test upon arrival in the UAE.

#NCEMA: Today we announce an update to the traveling protocol relevant to unvaccinated Emirati citizens, which comes into effect on 19th April, 2022.#TogetherWeRecover pic.twitter.com/nAC7mUr5gy

— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) April 13, 2022

Starting February 26, the NCEMA said that vaccinated travellers do not need to conduct a pre-departure PCR test when heading to the UAE, provided that they have a Covid-19 vaccination certificate with a QR code on it. Unvaccinated travellers heading to the UAE must show a negative PCR test conducted within 48 hours of departure, or a recovery certificate with a QR code that confirms they have recovered from the virus within a month of the date of travel.

Read: UAE: No pre-departure PCR tests for inbound vaccinated travellers, masks not mandatory outdoors

“We urge the public to follow the required precautionary measures for all passengers before and after travel, and the current situation regarding the pandemic at their travel destinations, as well as contact the country’s diplomatic missions abroad in case of suspected infection, and use the Tawajudi service provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation,” said Dr Al Ameri.

On Wednesday, April 13, the country’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) reported 237 new Covid-19 cases, taking the overall count to 894,523 since the start of the pandemic. MoHAP added that 6,539 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were administered over the previous 24 hours. The total number of doses provided to date stands at 24,621,636 with a vaccine distribution rate of 248.94 doses per 100 people.

#NCEMA: The #UAE topped the list of countries around the world with a population of over 1 million people in addressing the pandemic, in terms of rate of fully vaccinated individuals, according to an index released by @OurWorldInData.#TogetherWeRecover pic.twitter.com/hb9740K3J2

— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) April 13, 2022

Dr Al Ameri said that The UAE tops a list of countries, in terms of rate of fully vaccinated individuals in countries with a population of over 1 million, in an index issued by the ”Our World In Data” website. “In the same index, the UAE ranked second globally in terms of number of tests per 1,000 people, and fourth in terms of the rate of vaccinated individuals per 100 people, as well as first in terms of rate of those who have received at least one vaccine dose. The UAE ranked tenth globally in terms of number of tests administered, and ninth in having the lowest number of deaths, and we also note that no Covid-19 deaths were registered since March 8, 2022,” he added.