UAE relaxes travel restrictions imposed on travellers from Sri Lanka

August 4, 2021 at 12:13 PM

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will lift a ban on transit flights from Sri Lanka and several other countries from tomorrow (05), the National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA) announced today.

The Gulf state had earlier banned passengers from Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Nepal and African states travelling through its airports this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The NCEMA said on Twitter that passengers travelling from countries where flights had been banned would be able to transit through its airports from tomorrow.

It added that the passengers will be allowed to travel through the UAE as long as they present a negative PCR test taken 72 hours prior to departure.

The authority said final destination approval would also have to be provided, adding that the UAE departure airports would arrange separate lounges for transiting passengers.

The NCEMA further said a ban on entry to the UAE for passengers from these countries would also be lifted for those with valid residencies and who are certified by Emirati authorities as fully vaccinated.

It added that however, they would need to apply for online entry permits prior to travelling and would need to present a negative PCR test taken 48 hours prior to departure. (NewsWire)