As we prepare to enter August, coronavirus-related news continues to make headlines around the world. From expat visa concerns and lockdown crises, here are some of the major travel news highlights these past weeks.
Jobs and Families in Jeopardy as Thousands of UAE Residents Face Visa Expiry Concerns
Thousands of UAE residents stranded across 16 countries are now facing the imminent threat of visa expiry. With no possible entry via normal channels due to the travel suspension, some residents have resorted to charter flights or quarantine stays in third countries such as Armenia, Ethiopia, Qatar, Serbia, and Uzbekistan before continuing on to the UAE.
Other residents without the means of doing so continue to face uncertainties in their home countries as the prospect of their residency visa being nullified puts their jobs and family in jeopardy.
The UAE implements fresh COVID-19 rules
While UAE expats abroad wonder about their fate, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHaP) along with the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) have announced a fresh set of protocols for regulating social events and gatherings which are aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19 throughout the country.
Fresh pandemic riots
As the South African riot in mid July wound down, protests flared up in Australia and parts of Europe. In Sydney, demonstrators protesting lockdown turned violent, while protesters in Italy, France, and Greece gathered to oppose the ruling on vaccine pass that will limit access to unvaccinated residents.
Europe thwarting Delta?
Backed by strong vaccination rollout, countries in Europe have reasons to be cautiously optimistic in the face of the Delta variant threat. While an uptick of cases have been reported earlier in the UK, Netherlands, Spain, and many others, numbers are steadily falling and the COVID growth rates remain largely stable.
Southeast Asia struggling
Meanwhile, pockets of Southeast Asia continue to be plagued by alarming spikes of cases and healthcare crises. Reports on hospitals in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam painted grim images of infrastructures near collapse. Low vaccination rates, fragile health system, and rampant misinformation—all while battling the Delta and possibly Lambda variants—are to blame for the
Qatar reopens to fully vaccinated international travelers
Fully vaccinated international travelers can now enter Qatar as the country has officially made allowances to accommodate both inbound and outbound international travel. Qatar’s reopening stipulates that international arrivals must have been vaccinated with vaccines that have been approved by the Ministry of Public Health of Qatar.
