The United Arab Emirates will ban nonvaccinated citizens from traveling outside of the country. The travel ban will go into effect on January 10, according to WAM, the Emirates News Agency, citing an announcement from the UAE’s Foreign Ministry, in coordination with the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority.
“The announcement is in line with the country’s vision in the recovery phase of the pandemic and enhancing national efforts in all sectors, due to the global epidemiological situation and the current high rate of infections, to preserve the health and safety of citizens,” reported WAM, the official news agency of the UAE. “This is being done to ensure that health and safety are prioritized by the leadership and the country’s proactive efforts to confront the COVID-19 crisis,” the report also said.
The ban does not apply to citizens who are medically exempted from taking the vaccine, humanitarian cases, and individuals traveling for medical treatment purposes.