UAE, Aus announce curbs on India travel
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Australia and Oman have joined the list of countries that have imposed travel restrictions on Indians in the wake of a massive surge in Covid-19 infections. The UAE announced a ban on the entry of Indian travellers to the country. Singapore further tightened restrictions for travellers from India, and Australia decided to reduce the number of flights from India. On Wednesday, Oman too banned Indian travellers from entering, and earlier the UK added India to its “red list” and the US issued a travel advisory.
NEW DELHI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Australia and Oman have joined the list of countries that have imposed travel restrictions on India in the wake of a massive surge in Covid-19 cases, either completely baning or restricting flights from the country.
The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and the General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE announced the temporary suspension of all flights from India and the entry of transit passengers for a period of 10 days from April 25. Cargo flights between the two sides were exempted from the ban. People who transited through India in the past 14 days will also be barred from entering the UAE and the travel ban will be reviewed after 10 days, as per the announcement.
The ban will not apply to UAE nationals, diplomatic passport holders, official delegations, and “golden residency” visa holders, though they will be required to take preventive measures such as a 10-day quarantine and a RT-PCR test at the airport.
On Thursday, Singapore further tightened restrictions for travellers from India, mainly to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in its crowded workers’ dormitories. Officials acknowledged that the move would impact the construction and marine sectors, which employ a large number of people from India.
The UAE became the third country after the UK and Oman to bar the entry of Indian nationals even as the daily infections surged past the 300,000-mark. On Wednesday, Oman barred the entry of travellers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh from April 24. The ban will also cover travellers who transited through any of the three South Asian countries over the past 14 days, Oman’s Supreme Committee announced.
The Australian government has decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights from India by 30% after registering a Covid spike in incoming travellers. People coming from high-risk countries such as India will also have to test negative for Covid-19 at least 72 hours before boarding a flight to Australia.