BY AMBROSE GAHENE
Over 200 Labour exporting companies have been left in a state of quagmire after the United Arab Emirates suspended flights from Uganda, due to COVID 19 resurgence. Besides being a major destination for most of the informal workers from Uganda, UAE is the regional hub and the home of Emirates Airlines. Other countries affected by the flight suspensions over COVID 19 resurgence include; Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) said the suspension took effect last Friday, June 11.Also, travelers who were in the three countries 14 days to their flight to UAE were denied entry.
However, departing flights from UAE to the three countries and also transit flights heading to these destinations would not be affected.UAE citizens, diplomats, official delegations and business people with prior approval and essential job holders as prescribed by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) are exempted from the travel restriction.
The country’s General Authority of Civil Authority says that travelers from the three countries transiting through other countries must prove that they stayed in those other countries for at least 14 days in order to enter UAE.
The authority has now urged travelers affected by the suspension to reschedule their flights.
Dubai is one of the top four routes from Entebbe International Airport, with an average of 16 flights a week with Ethiopian Airlines, Fly Dubai and Emirates being among the airlines that operate the Dubai route from Entebbe.
Many of the labour workers are in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Iraq as domestic workers, cleaners and security guards.
