By Francis Ogwo
As the surge in the second string of the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, the United Kingdom has announced the extension of an outright travel ban on non-citizens arriving from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Rwanda and Burundi.
This was made public in an update issued by the UK government on its website.
The measures according to reports include severe quarantine measures for any British or Irish citizens and third-country nationals with residence rights coming from these countries, and will be required to isolate at home or in a hotel for 10 days.
The UK government’s spokesperson revealed that the decision to place the travel ban on these countries follows the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant, first discovered in South Africa, which may have spread to other countries including the UAE, Rwanda and Burundi.
The UAE is regarded as one of the world’s busiest international route and home to thousands of British expatriates and is a popular destination for holiday seekers.
Earlier, the UK government had extended travel ban to some countries, which included some Southern African nations as part of the measures aimed at preventing the spread of a new strain of Covid-19 variant identified in South Africa and some other countries.
The new measure reflects increased risks from the new strain of the coronavirus disease.
The UK has been among the countries worst-hit by Covid-19. Its economy suffered the sharpest contraction of any in the Group of Seven during the first wave of infection’s last spring, and it is currently being hit by the outbreak of the second wave of the disease.
This move according to experts would reduce the spread of the virus in the Arab country which is a hub for tourism across the world.
