United Arab Emirates to lift restrictions on Nigerian visitors and transit passengers on August 5

UNITED Arab Emirates (UAE) government officials have announced that they will lift the ban on transit passenger traffic from Nigeria and several countries on Thursday August 5 in response to the easing of the coronavirus pandemic.

As a result of the virus, passengers from several African and Asian countries including Nigeria, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Uganda, were not allowed to pass through the UAE during their travels. However, with the pandemic now abating, the UAE's National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA) said it was easing some of these restrictions.

According to NCEMA, passengers travelling from countries where flights had been suspended would be able to transit through its airports from Thursday as long as they present negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests taken 72 hours prior to departure. Final destination approval would also have to be provided and UAE departure airports would arrange separate lounges for transiting passengers.

In addition, the NCEMA said that 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. 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.

Those working in the medical, educational or government sectors in the UAE as well as those studying or completing medical treatment would be exempt from the vaccination requirement as would humanitarian cases. Nigerians in particular have been hard hit by this ban as Dubai is not only a favourite holiday destination of the country's wealthy but there are large numbers of the elite who own houses there.