UAE travellers to be exempt from UK quarantine by next month, says British minister

James Cleverly says Emirates' citizens and residents to be part of move to open up to fully vaccinated visitors from October 4

British Airways employees at arrivals in Heathrow Airport. Getty Images

Travelers disembark from the Eurostar train from Paris at St Pancras International station in London. The UK is set to overhaul its international travel rules, easing the burden on passengers and giving a boost to the beleaguered industry. Getty Images

Travelers enter St Pancras International station in London after arriving from Paris on a Eurostar train. Getty Images

A man wheels a Union Jack suitcase through the international arrival gate at Heathrow Airport in London. Getty Images

A man wearing a face mask walks past the arrivals gate at St Pancras International station in London. Getty Images

People wait for their loved ones to exit at arrivals in Heathrow Airport. Getty Images

A public health notice displayed at Heathrow Airport. Getty Images

A traveller exits through the International Arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. Getty Images

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Vaccinated UAE nationals and residents will be able to visit the UK without the need to quarantine from October 4.

James Cleverly, Minister for Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, early on Saturday wrote on Twitter: “Delighted that international travel is opening up.

“We are finalising arrangements with [the] UAE to include their nationals and residents in our plans to open up to the fully vaccinated from other countries from October 4.”

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Friday said that from October 4 the UK's Covid-19 travel rules will be overhauled and its traffic light system replaced with a single red list, mandating hotel quarantine, alongside rules on vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers from other countries.

Among new measures to open up travel announced on Friday, eight nations including Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan will be removed from the UK’s red list for travellers from September 22.

The Maldives, Sri Lanka, Oman, Bangladesh and Kenya are also set to see travel restrictions ease.

The changes offer a huge boost to the travel industry, with British families now looking to book winter sun holidays.

Although no specific guidance on travel requirements has been offered to those living in the UAE, current demands on a 10-day quarantine for all arrivals from the UAE are likely to change.

Currently, all travellers from the Emirates must currently quarantine on arrival, with at least five days spent in a private residence in the UK.

If a Covid-19 test taken on day five comes back negative, quarantine is lifted.

Passengers arriving from red list countries, that cover much of South America and southern Africa, must still quarantine in government-approved hotels, if arriving from Covid hotspots.

A mandatory 10-day hotel quarantine stay at a government approved hotel costs £2,285 ($3,140) per person.

On Thursday, Emirates announced it was preparing for a spike in demand by employing 3,000 cabin crew and 500 service staff as the airline gears-up for close to pre-pandemic levels of air travel.