Covid-19: UAE debunks reports of travel ban on Nigerians
By The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has debunked reports of alleged imposition of visa and travel restrictions on Nigerians to the country following the Covid-19 pandemic, calling on the public to ignore them.
A statement issued on Thursday by the UAE embassy in Abuja, said “In response to recent press and social media reports regarding purported travel restrictions between the UAE and Nigeria, and in an affirmation of the growing bilateral relations between the two friendly countries, the UAE Embassy in Abuja denies the accuracy of the information contained in these reports.”
The UAE said that at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it took a number of precautionary measures to combat the virus spread, including the temporary suspension on issuing UAE visas for all nationalities as of March 17, 2020.
The statement added that after entering the recovery phase of the pandemic, the UAE eased some measures on July 7, permitting visitors from various countries to adhere to the necessary precautionary measures, including by showing negative PCR test results within 92 hours of traveling to the UAE. This includes those visiting from Nigeria.
“However, travel between the UAE and Nigeria has remained limited due to the closure of Nigerian airspace, and the UAE Embassy in Abuja continues to work closely with the Nigerian Government to obtain the necessary approvals to facilitate travel between the two countries,” the statement said.
The UAE Embassy therefore called on the public to verify the authenticity of such reports and to seek information from the official sources.