UAE announces travel ban on non-vaccinated citizens
A family walks at Dubai International Airport, as Emirates airline resumed limited outbound passenger flights amid outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Dubai, UAE April 27, 2020. PHOTO: REUTERS
The United Arab Emirates will ban non-vaccinated citizens from traveling abroad from Jan 10, the state news agency WAM reported on Saturday, citing the foreign ministry and the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority.
The report said that fully vaccinated citizens would also require a booster shot to be eligible to travel.
The ban would not apply to those with medical or humanitarian exemptions.
Also read: UAE lifts ban on transit flights from Pakistan
The development comes as daily coronavirus infections in the UAE, the Gulf region's tourism and commercial hub, have risen above 2,000 for the first time since June.
Authorities last week recorded 2,234 new infections in the past 24 hours, without breaking down the cases by variant.
The UAE, which is hosting the Dubai Expo 2020 world fair, announced its first known case of the coronavirus variant Omicron earlier this month.
Daily cases had fallen below 100 in October but started to climb again in December as tourists flocked to Dubai in the holiday period.