UAE Makes U-Turn, Extends Flight Ban to African Countries

 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it will prevent travellers from Nigeria, South Africa, Namibia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone from entering that country on national and foreign flights. For Nigeria, flights are suspended "until further notice" and for South Africa, they are suspended until July 6, 2021. Flights between the UAE and Nigeria were first halted in March 2021 after a novel coronavirus strain that was markedly more resistant to vaccines, similar to the South Africa strain, was detected. Entry for travellers from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Namibia has been suspended indefinitely since June 21, 2021.

Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda were added to the travel suspension list earlier this month, effective from June 11. Across Southern Africa, governments are ordering their countries into stricter lockdown regulations in a bid to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Health officials are urgently appealing for vaccines to combat a third wave of Covid-19 surging across the continent.