The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) has announced a travel ban on non-vaccinated Emirati citizens with effect from January 10. The ministry has coordinated efforts with the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) to announce the travel ban with the aim of enhancing the health and safety of community members against COVID-19 in the country.

The decision is also in line with the wise leadership's vision and guidelines to foster recovery of key sectors from the impact of the pandemic. These safety measures are aimed at strengthening national efforts against COVID-19 across all sectors in view of the current global epidemiological situation.

The ministry has also called on eligible community members to receive their booster vaccine doses as per the travel protocols issued by relevant authorities to enhance immune response against new emerging variants.

Meanwhile, travel is allowed for unvaccinated citizens for the following categories:

· Citizens who have been medically exempted from taking the vaccine

· Humanitarian cases

· People travelling due to medical and treatment reasons.

The ministry and NCEMA have also stressed the importance of ensuring strict compliance with COVID-19 precautionary measures, monitoring the current epidemiological situation in travel destinations, and coordinating with diplomatic missions in destination countries in case of suspected infection to boost health and safety against the virus.

Since the onset of the pandemic in the country, UAE's leadership has been prioritising the health and wellbeing of all community members. In line with this agenda, the authorities have ensured proactive efforts to confront the COVID-19 crisis.

WAM