The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it will ban citizens who have not had three doses of a vaccine against COVID-19 from travelling abroad
The ban will come into force from 10 January. Officials said that the exit ban would not apply to those who are medically exempt from receiving the vaccine.
It is the latest country to announce new curbs amid a rise in infections. Many countries impose strict restrictions on unvaccinated people before they are allowed in. This varies from a requirement for a negative COVID-19 test before travel to mandatory quarantine upon arrival. Studies have found that a booster shot offers better protection against the heavily-mutated Omicron variant, which has been spreading rapidly around the world.
The new travel rules in the UAE were announced by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Officials said that the ban on unvaccinated passengers would also be lifted in ‘humanitarian cases’ and in cases where people were travelling for medical treatment.
As per reports, till now, UAE has reported over 750,000 cases of coronavirus and more than 2,000 deaths.
Although the foreign workers make up the vast majority of the resident population in the Gulf state, they will not be affected by the new restrictions, which only apply to citizens.
