UAE added to UK ‘red list’ of countries with travel restrictions

UAE added to UK ‘red list’ of countries with travel restrictions

LONDON: The UAE has been added to a British list of countries with additional travel restrictions designed to limit the spread of COVID-19.

The UK government on Tuesday announced the measures following growing concerns that imported variants of COVID-19 could be resistant to the country's main vaccine produced by AstraZeneca.

Downing Street is expected to introduce mandatory hotel quarantines for 33 countries on the list, which includes the UAE.

Quarantines in hotels, or similar government-approved locations where travelers must self-isolate, have been touted as a successful strategy for reducing COVID-19 transmission following successful efforts in Singapore, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.

The so-called "red list“ applies to countries deemed to be high risk due to rates of COVID-19 infections. The new measures will mean that flights to the UK from these destinations are suspended.

The only arrivals permitted from "red list“ countries are British and Irish nationals or those with UK residence rights.

The hotel quarantine will come into effect from Feb. 15, with room booking available from Feb. 11.