The United Arab Emirates banned its citizens from traveling to several South Asian and African countries on Thursday. The decision was taken seeing newer variants of the virus.
The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority said on Thursday that Emirati citizens are not allowed to travel India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Namibia, Zambia, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, South Africa and Nigeria. There are some exceptions to the ban, including for diplomats and those seeking emergency medical treatment, according to a statement from the authority.
Some of the countries on the list have confirmed the new delta variant of corona virus of the coronavirus. The World Health Organization considers the variant easily transferable than the original virus strain, though there is no enough proofs that it is more dangerous. India in particular has struggled to contain the variant. Some countries with confirmed delta cases.
This is not the first time entities in the UAE have imposed travel restrictions since the relatively newer variant started spreading worldwide. The Dubai-based airline Emirates currently flight bans for South Africa, Uganda and other countries.