Formerly quarantined for 10 days and subjected to PCR tests, Abu Dhabi residents have welcomed the Minister of Health’s decision to lift quarantine for Covid-vaccinated travellers. As of today, travellers arriving in Abu Dhabi who have been fully immunized against Covid-19, or who are travelling from a country on the green list, are exempt from quarantine.
Unvaccinated travellers from non-green list destinations must stay in quarantine for ten days. The new rule is a huge relief for travelers, said Ugandan expat Musa Ekirirweira, who recently returned to Abu Dhabi after a short trip home.
This new procedure has really pleased me. “They are so helpful and will make life much easier for travellers,” he said.
When he returned from Uganda, which is not on the green list, Ekirirweira had to quarantine for 10 days even though he was fully vaccinated. PCR tests have been performed on me more than three times since I arrived in Abu Dhabi. There’s too much and it’s tiring,” he said.
The Ugandan national also noted that the new measures will likely encourage more members of the community to get vaccinated, especially those who travel home for holidays. Jordanian expat Amjad Hassan’s wife will return from Amman next week fully vaccinated and will not have to quarantine, saying she is pleased. A 10-day quarantine, he explained, would prevent her from reporting to jobs that require physical presence immediately.
Expats have even refrained from traveling, fearing the old quarantine procedures. An engineer from Pakistan was unable to visit his ill mother after being unable to travel. Since my job requires physical attendance, he did not have many days on his leave left to spend with his mother back home and return to the United States and quarantine for ten days. “This is great, because I will be able to fly home to see my mother since there is no need to quarantine travellers with vaccines.”