Entry Ban from India to UAE extended till 6 July

This information has been given on the official Twitter handle of Air India Express

By Aasiya MG Jun 9, 2021, 22:15 IST

UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has extended the ban on incoming passengers from India till July 6. This however does not include UAE Citizens or diplomatic travellers. The incoming passenger ban which began in April, was revised in May following the upsurge of COVID cases in the India as the disastrous second wave.

Indian carrier Air India Express mentioned the details on its tweet that the UAE authorities have extended the ban till July 6. Spice Jet, FlyDubai, Emirates, however, have not confirmed the matter as they have not yet received any update from the GCAA.

UAE residents from India have been stranded in their home country for over two months now, and many have lost their jobs in this process.

“General Authority of Civil Aviation, UAE, has suspended all inbound passenger movement to the UAE from India, (excluding UAE nationals) till 6th July, 2021” - Air India Express Tweet

The necessary PCR test duration before travel has been decreased from 72 hours to 48 hours and any testing by licensed laboratories that produce results with a QR code shall be administered. All preventive measures including 10 days of quarantine, an airport PCR test, and PCR on day four and on day eight after arriving in the country must be followed by the excluded groups.

GCAA also announced restriction on entry of passengers from Zambia, DR Congo and Uganda. The newest notification comes following UAE's suspension of traffic from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Many expats who had travelled when borders opened after the first lockdown to meet their families have been left stranded and some have even lost their livelihood in the form of lost wages as well as termination. Many visas have expired, families living alone, and a variety of issues have cropped up.

UT OPINION

The UAE government needs to ensure that those who are stranded in India or any of the restricted countries do not lose their jobs or salaries as they have been stranded here due to the pandemic and the UAE's own ruling. It is the UAE government that is apprehensive about people returning from India during the second wave. There can be easy preparations for institutional quarantine for those returning from India - either free or at the passengers cost. People will be willing to pay for institutional quarantine provided they are assured that they get to keep their jobs and get their salaries. These people have lived and worked in the UAE. They have given their services to companies in the UAE. A diplomatic engagement is necessary to solve this crisis for many such expats - on principle and humanitarian grounds.