The UK government suspended the UAE from the safe travel corridor due to an acceleration in the number of imported cases recently.
According to the UK’s Department of Transport, those entering the country from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Umm Al-Quwain, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah will now have to quarantine with immediate effect, mandatorily.
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The decision came after several returnees in the UK from UAE tested positive for COVID-19. ‘From 4 am on 12 January 2021, travellers arriving into England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from the UAE will need to self-isolate,’ the UK government informed in a Downing Street press release. It cautioned that the action was initiated following the significant increase in both the level and pace of change in confirmed coronavirus cases.
Cases in the UAE averaged about 1,200 a day over the past couple of months, but infections started to spike at the end of December and the country reported a record 2,998 cases on Jan. 9.
Dubai-London Heathrow remains the busiest international route this month, according to flight-bookings specialist OAG, most likely driven by the travel corridor introduced late last year. Travelers from the U.K. have been flying to Dubai in droves to escape the lockdown, boosting tourism in the Middle East’s business hub.
Emirates currently serves London Heathrow with five daily flights, of which four are operated with an Airbus SE A380, according to the airline’s website. The world’s largest-long haul carrier also operates 10 flights a week to Manchester, and daily flights to Birmingham and Glasgow.
People currently in the UAE are encouraged to follow the local rules, return home as normal and check FCDO travel advice for further information.
Passengers arriving from all international destinations, including the UAE, will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result taken up to 3 days before departing for England or Scotland to help protect against new strains of coronavirus circulating internationally.
Passengers will need to present this proof to carriers, along with their passenger locator form. The UK Border Force will conduct spot checks on arrival into England to ensure that passengers are fully compliant.
At the same time, the FCDO has updated its travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to UAE.
The government has made consistently clear it will take decisive action if necessary to contain the virus, including if the public health risk of people returning from a particular country without self-isolating becomes too high.
The devolved administrations have all taken the same decision today, so travellers arriving from the UAE into all parts of the UK will need to self-isolate.
National restrictions for England introduced on 6 January 2021 remain in place, meaning everyone must stay at home unless travelling for a very limited set of reasons, including for work. This means people can no longer travel to take holidays or travel internationally unless for work or other legally permitted reasons. Those in breach of the rules face penalties starting at £200, rising to a maximum of £6,400.