Passengers of an Emirates airlines flight, departing to the Australian city of Sydney, wear protective gear at Dubai International Airport on May 22, 2020, after the resumption of scheduled operations by the Emirati carrier, amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic crisis. / AFP / Karim SAHIB
Passengers of an Emirates airlines flight, departing to the Australian city of Sydney, wear protective gear at Dubai International Airport on May 22, 2020, after the resumption of scheduled operations by the Emirati carrier, amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic crisis. / AFP / Karim SAHIB
Passengers of an Emirates airlines flight, departing to the Australian city of Sydney, wear protective gear at Dubai International Airport on May 22, 2020, after the resumption of scheduled operations by the Emirati carrier, amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic crisis. / AFP / Karim SAHIB
Passengers of an Emirates airlines flight, departing to the Australian city of Sydney, wear protective gear at Dubai International Airport on May 22, 2020, after the resumption of scheduled operations

Coronavirus: UAE relaxes international travel guidelines


Simon Rushton
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Latest: Where UAE residents can be tested overseas for Covid-19 before returning to the Emirates

The UAE has updated its guidelines on international travel, with the government announcing Friday night that citizens and residents can travel if they adhere to precautions and measures imposed to fight Covid-19.

A government statement said passengers must complete UAE health precautions and preventive measures, and also any health requirements at the destination countries.

The statement added that compulsory health and social distancing requirements must be adhered to before departure and on arrival from travel destinations.

Citizens are still required to register with the My Presence service (Tawajudi) to facilitate communication with them during travel.

Passengers must test negative for coronavirus within 48 hours of the date of travel. Travel will only be allowed if passengers have insurance.

People over the age of 70 or with chronic health conditions are still advised to not travel.

The British government on Friday has maintained an effective ban on UK holidaymakers travelling to the Arabian Gulf after countries in the region were omitted from a list of nations people can now visit without restriction. 
In an effort to save the airline industry from collapse, Britain's Department for Transport publicised a list of 60 "low risk" countries to which people could travel without an enforced 14-day quarantine on their return home.
It is understood that with the conditions for travel to the UAE, which is primarily a winter destination for its 1.5 million annual UK visitors, could be amended after the Gulf's hot summer has finished.
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  • An Iraqi man wears a protective mask as he walks around Baghdad international Airport. EPA
    An Iraqi man wears a protective mask as he walks around Baghdad international Airport. EPA
  • Travellers are served at the check-in desk at Baghdad international Airport in Baghdad. EPA
    Travellers are served at the check-in desk at Baghdad international Airport in Baghdad. EPA
  • A handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency shows President Hassan Rouhani, accompanied by the Foreign Minister Mohmmad Javad Zarif, attending by video conference a trilateral meeting with the leaders of Turkey and Russia on the topic of Syria. AFP PHOTO
    A handout picture provided by the Iranian presidency shows President Hassan Rouhani, accompanied by the Foreign Minister Mohmmad Javad Zarif, attending by video conference a trilateral meeting with the leaders of Turkey and Russia on the topic of Syria. AFP PHOTO
  • Terminal 3 for International flights is pictured at the Cairo's International Airport after its reopening. Reuters
    Terminal 3 for International flights is pictured at the Cairo's International Airport after its reopening. Reuters
  • A general view Cairo's International Airport. Reuters
    A general view Cairo's International Airport. Reuters
  • A Palestinian man walks near closed shops in an empty street in the West Bank city of Nablus. EPA
    A Palestinian man walks near closed shops in an empty street in the West Bank city of Nablus. EPA
  • Spanish soldiers deployed to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) wear face masks as they prepare to travel to Lebanon following six months of training and two weeks of quarantine at the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas International Airport in Madrid, Spain. EPA
    Spanish soldiers deployed to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) wear face masks as they prepare to travel to Lebanon following six months of training and two weeks of quarantine at the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas International Airport in Madrid, Spain. EPA
  • Spanish soldiers deployed to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) wear face masks as they prepare to travel to Lebanon following six months of training and two weeks of quarantine at the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas International Airport in Madrid, Spain. EPA
    Spanish soldiers deployed to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) wear face masks as they prepare to travel to Lebanon following six months of training and two weeks of quarantine at the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas International Airport in Madrid, Spain. EPA