The United Arab Emirates (UAE) took an important decision on Monday afternoon. The UAE Civil Aviation Authority prohibited the arrival of citizens of four Asian countries. This includes Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. India is currently facing a second wave of infection. About 3 lakh cases are coming out every day. However, India is not included in this list. This travel ban will come into effect from May 12. The statement does not say how long the ban will continue.
The UAE Administration had already hinted earlier that it had indicated earlier this month that it could take some strict steps to prevent infection. UAE’s decision is a double whammy for Pakistan. About 6 months ago the UAE started canceling work visas and permits of Pakistanis. Since then, no new work visas have been issued. Now a travel ban has also been imposed. This means that Pakistani citizens cannot go there.
Transition is increasing in all three countries The
pace of infection is increasing rapidly in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The UAE feels that the pace of vaccination in Pakistan is negligible and people here can spoil the situation of UAE. Most of the laborers from Pakistan and Bangladesh come here. The Government of Pakistan itself believes that there is an increasing crowd in the markets before Eid and people are not being cautious. To deal with this, the army has been taken out on the streets. Despite this, about 4 thousand cases are coming up every day.
Only one-way flights
At present, the travel ban has been kept unilateral. That means people from these countries will be able to go back to their country from UAE. But, strict rules have also been set for this. UAE diplomatic missions, citizens and business jets present in these countries will be able to come to UAE. These people will also have to submit RT-PCR test report for the journey and it should not be more than 48 hours old. After returning to the country, they will have to complete a 10-day mandatory quarantine period.
