Covid-19: UAE stays on UK’s red list

Dubai - Travellers will have to quarantine in a hotel on arrival.

The UAE continues to remain on the UK’s red list of countries after a travel review by the government.

This means that only UK and Irish nationals as well as those UAE residents who have UK residency can travel to the European country directly - but they will have to quarantine in a hotel on arrival.

“If you have been in a country or territory on the red list in the last 10 days you will only be allowed to enter the UK if you are a British or Irish National, or you have residence rights in the UK,” according to the UK government’s website.

But they can, alternatively, opt to holiday in an amber or green country for 11 days before they travel to the UK.

Moreover, travellers returning to England from the Spanish islands of Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca will have to quarantine at home unless they have had two Covid vaccine shots, following a change in policy that could spell bad news for young holidaymakers.

Britain has one of the fastest vaccination programmes in the world but so far the government has effectively prevented travel to most countries through quarantine and testing rules.

It has introduced a traffic light system that grades countries based on their Covid-19 risk. People returning from those countries must follow different rules - from producing regular tests to quarantining at home and in expensive hotels.

From next Monday it will allow fully-vaccinated passengers to travel without quarantine to all countries except those with the highest Covid-19 risk, which are on a red list.

However, the government said on Wednesday the Balearic Islands would be added to the amber list, which means that those younger adults who have not yet had two shots would need to quarantine at home for 10 days on their return.

The British Virgin Islands were also moved to amber, while Cuba, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sierra Leone were put on to its red list, meaning anyone travelling back from there would need to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days.

UAE envoy disappointed as country remains on UK red list

The government added Hong Kong and Bulgaria to the green list from July 19, the statement said.

Red list of countries and territories

- United Arab Emirates (UAE)

- Afghanistan

- Angola

- Argentina

- Bahrain

- Bangladesh

- Bolivia

- Botswana

- Brazil

- Burundi

- Cape Verde

- Chile

- Colombia

- Congo (Democratic Republic)

- Costa Rica

- Cuba (currently on the amber list. Will move to red list 4am, July 19)

- Dominican Republic

- Ecuador

- Egypt

- Eritrea

- Eswatini

- Ethiopia

- French Guiana

- Guyana

- Haiti

- India

- Indonesia (currently on the amber list. Will move to red list 4am, Monday 19 July)

- Kenya

- Lesotho

- Malawi

- Maldives

- Mongolia

- Mozambique

- Myanmar (currently on the amber list. Will move to red list 4am, Monday 19 July)

See all countries on amber and green lists here.