The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday indicated its readiness to lift its entry and transit ban on travellers who had recently visited South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia and eight other African countries.
Other countries to be affected by the lifting include, Tanzania, Republic of Congo, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
The country’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) stated that the government would lift the ban initially imposed in light of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
The agency gave this hint in a Twitter post stating that “from January 29, entry into the UAE for arrivals from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, the Republic of South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe is allowed again.”
According to the NCEMA, changes will come into effect at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday
Under the new regulations, while travellers will be required to obtain a negative COVID-19 PCR test 48 hours prior to departure and a negative rapid-PCR test at the departure airport, those travelling from Uganda, Ghana and Rwanda will also have to take the three tests.
In addition, passengers will also be tested on arrival.
It would be recalled that travel bans were first put in place after the Omicron variant was reported by South African scientists in November, following which Dubai’s Emirates Airline suspended passenger operations from the region.
The initial ban covered travellers who had visited certain African countries in the previous 14 days.
