Dubai, along with the rest of the United Arab Emirates, has been moved from the red list to the amber list, following the government’s latest review of the traffic light system for international travel.
The change will come into effect from 4am on Sunday 8 August. Travellers arriving from the UAE will no longer have to book a quarantine hotel package for when they return to the UK.
With year-round sunshine and just a few days of annual rainfall, Dubai is a hit with British holidaymakers – 1.2 million Brits visited the emirate in 2019.
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While the pandemic brought its tourism industry to a grinding halt, its advanced vaccination programme is an encouraging sign for visitors and locals alike, with over 16.9 million doses administered to an adult population of around eight million.
What are the rules for travellers returning from Dubai?
From 8 August, Dubai joins the amber list.
Amber list rules mean that those who have been fully vaccinated in the UK, US or EU, or are under the age of 18, do not have to quarantine and must simply show proof of a negative lateral flow test prior to departure, and take a PCR test within two days of arrival in the UK.
The second jab must have been administered at least 14 days prior to entry into the UK.
However, unvaccinated travellers will have to quarantine at home for 10 days and take a Covid-19 test on days two and eight after arriving back in the UK, or, in England, opt to pay for an extra test on day five to finish self-isolating early if the result is negative.
What are the current rules in relation to Dubai travel?
At present, those travelling from or through the UK and arriving in Dubai must present evidence of a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to departure.
Travellers arriving in Dubai may be required to undertake another PCR test on arrival and will have to isolate if the result is positive.
Why has Dubai been moved to the amber list?
Asked by Sky News if the Middle East city had been moved to the amber list due to its status as a major international transport hub, transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “With all these changes I often see a whole load of theories behind why a particular country has been opened and another one hasn’t, but with all these changes what we do is ask the experts, that’s the Joint Biosecurity Centre, the JBC in this case, to give us their overview of every country and their recommendation about where a country should sit.
“This time they have come back and said Dubai, and Qatar, the UAE and in fact India – which will surprise some people – are all fit to come from the red list and come onto the amber list.”
He said factors for moving countries off the red list included the number of people who had a jab there, the reliability of local Covid data, and the prevalence of the virus and variants of concern.
Will Dubai’s status change?
The government will review the rules around international travel every three weeks. It is currently unclear if Dubai will be promoted to the green list.
The next update will take place on either Wednesday 25 August or Thursday 26 August.
