Citizens and residents traveling to Abu Dhabi from Doha will now have to go through mandatory quarantine measures.
Due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, Abu Dhabi updated its ‘green list’ destinations to exclude the neighbouring Gulf state, authorities confirmed.
Effective February 7, travellers arriving in the Emirati capital from Qatar, Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Thailand, Falkland Islands and St. Kitts and Nevis will be required to quarantine, among other precautionary regulations.
Previously, passengers arriving from Qatar were exempt from mandatory quarantine measures and were only be required to undergo PCR testing before and upon arrival at Abu Dhabi airport.
However, the two Gulf states have been battling a surge in coronavirus infections in recent weeks.
On Sunday, the UAE reported over 3,000 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of active infections to 19,815.
In an effort to flatten the curve, Abu Dhabi announced new restrictions in the last week, including banning all parties and gatherings, closing all movie theatres, and now updating its green list.
COVID-19 cases in Qatar have also been on the rise with health authorities on Sunday reporting 408 new cases – the highest in months.
Last week, Qatar announced a new plan to re-implement COVID-19 restrictions to counter the increasing number of cases, raising concerns of a potential second wave.
Among the measures, imposed from February 4, is restricting the number of those in the workplace, closing children’s playgrounds and indoor amusement parks as well as limiting the capacity of indoor sports and fitness centres, such as gyms.
Authorities also issued a ban on indoor weddings (unless held at home) while restricting the number of attendees, both indoor and outdoor, to 10 and 15 respectively.
Last December, Qatar kicked off its vaccination campaign, with the second vaccine shipment expected soon, according to the ministry.
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