Priti Patel reveals government’s new travel quarantine rules

Dubai flights have been banned from today to Wales, Scotland and England. From tomorrow, direct flights from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Northern Ireland will also be prohibited. The Government announced the country’s addiction to the “red list” amid concerns over the number of Britons escaping to Dubai during lockdown in the UK.

The emirate has proved a particular magnet for influencers who have been slammed for jetting off to Dubai in recent weeks.

Now, travel is very much off the cards.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has updated its travel advice online.

“From 1pm on January 29, direct flights from the UAE to England and Scotland are prohibited,” explained the FCDO.

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“Visitors who have been in or transited through the UAE in the previous 10 days cannot enter England and Scotland.

“British and Irish nationals and third-country nationals with residence rights in the UK arriving in England and Scotland from the UAE will need to self-isolate along with their households on their return.”

The same rule applies to Wales, with the measure already in force today after starting at 4am today.

Tomorrow (January 30) the UAE travel ban will be implemented in Northern Ireland from 4am under the above conditions.

Again, a 10-day quarantine is required for those permitted to enter.

The FCDO detailed what “residence rights” means.

It stated: “From January 1 onwards, people with residence rights include: holders of Indefinite Leave to Remain; holders of existing leave to enter or remain (i.e those with biometric Residence permits) or an entry clearance/visa that grants such leave e.g. students, workers, etc (excluding visit visas); holders of EU Settlement Scheme (“EUSS”) leave; those who have rights of entry under the Withdrawal Agreements (including returning residents with a right of residence under the EEA Regulations and EEA frontier workers); family members of EEA nationals with rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.”

The UAE joins a swathe of other countries which are also banned from the UK amid concerns of new strains of covid.

These destinations are as follows:

Angola

Argentina

Bolivia

Botswana

Brazil

Burundi

Cape Verde

Chile

Colombia

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ecuador

Eswatini

French Guiana

Guyana

Lesotho

Malawi

Mauritius

Mozambique

Namibia

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores)

Rwanda

Seychelles

South Africa

Suriname

Tanzania

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Uruguay

Venezuela

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Those with resident rights who are allowed to enter the UK must “have valid proof of a negative coronavirus test to travel to England” which will need to be presented “before you board to travel to England.”

The Government warns: “If you don’t present proof of a negative test result certificate, you may not be able to board your transport to England.

“You could be fined £500 when you arrive at the border if you cannot provide proof that you have had a negative coronavirus test.”

Passengers will also need to bring a completed passenger locator form

It should be noted that the Test to Release scheme, whereby arrivals to the UK can halve their quarantine period, is not open to anyone returning from the above “red list” countries.

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