Coronavirus UK: Britons in Dubai race to reach home before today's 1pm deadline - Money

Models and social media influencers are among thousands of British travellers facing a race home today to avoid being stranded in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The scramble to get a flight comes after ministers added the United Arab Emirates to the so-called red list of countries from where travel to the UK is prohibited.

Some British passengers including make-up artist Amy Wilson from Glasgow said they had just managed to get home just before the ban on direct inbound passenger flights from the UAE to Britain comes into effect at 1pm today.

Ms Wilson tweeted: ‘Can’t believe how lucky me and Jack have been with flights. Got back from Turkey two hours before the quarantine deadline and getting the last flight home from Dubai before the UK closes its boarders to the UAE. Someone’s looking out for me.’

But others including Only Fans model Honey Evans from Leeds said they would stay out in Dubai. She tweeted: ‘Flights from Dubai to the UK are banned. Guess I have no choice but to stay out here. Shame.’

Some British passengers including make-up artist Amy Wilson from Glasgow said they had just managed to get home just before the ban on direct inbound passenger flights from the UAE

Ministers acted following evidence that the more infectious South African strain of Covid-19 had been detected in the UAE.

Up to 10,000 UK residents are thought to be in the country, which is popular with wealthy winter sun-seekers for its luxurious hotels and beaches.

Scores of social media influencers and millionaires have flocked there recently.

Ministers announced the move at 5pm yesterday, giving holidaymakers less than 24 hours to scramble for tickets on the handful of direct flights scheduled to arrive in the UK before the deadline.

Britons will still be allowed to come back on indirect flights. Business trips to the UAE will no longer be considered essential.

Only Fans model Honey Evans from Leeds said she would stay out in Dubai. She tweeted: ‘Flights from Dubai to the UK are banned. Guess I have no choice but to stay out here. Shame.’

Thanks to other rules introduced on Wednesday, adding the UAE to the red list means Britons returning from there face having to quarantine in airport hotels for ten days.

It was still unclear yesterday when this will come into force, but officials are thought to be considering the week beginning February 8.

Arrivals from countries not on the red list will still be required to quarantine, but at home instead.

In addition to the ban on direct flights that comes in from 1pm, another set of restrictions came into force today from 4am.

UK residents must self-isolate at home with all members of their household for ten days if they return from the UAE, and non-UK residents are banned from entering Britain if they have been in the UAE within ten days.

Towie’s James Lock and his girlfriend Yazmin Oukhellou were out in Dubai earlier this month

Love Island star Georgia Steel (left) was in Dubai but has recently been posting pictures in the Maldives. Molly Mae Hague (right) posted pictures in the Maldvies, but is now back in the UK

The latter does not apply to British, Irish and foreign nationals with UK residence rights.

Former Geordie Shore star Chloe Ferry, 25, is among the scores of influencers who have flocked to Dubai in recent weeks. Others include Sophia Peschisolido, 23, the daughter of Tory peer Karren Brady, who posted Instagram snaps of herself in Dubai.

Love Island stars such as Laura Anderson, who has since flown back, were also among those to jet off to the Gulf state before the third national lockdown began. One influencer caused fury this week by claiming to be there as an essential worker.

Sheridan Mordew, 24, who has been in Dubai since the start of January, said she was there for an ‘essential work trip’ to provide sunny content for fans in lockdown and ‘motivate them’.

Chloe Ferry of Geordie Shore, who travelled out to Dubai at the end of 2020 – before lockdown measures were introduced – originally claimed she had hoped to stay for ‘two months’

Towie’s Yazmin Oukhellou (left) told fans she was in Dubai ‘for work purposes, for business’, but added: ‘Obviously we’ll make the most of it while we’re here as well.’ Love Island’s Laura Anderson (right) faced a backlash when she spoke about how hard it was to be an ‘influencer’

Home Secretary Priti Patel criticised influencers in the Commons on Wednesday as she unveiled the measures for quarantine hotels.

She blasted them for setting a bad example by holidaying in the sun when Britons have been told to stay at home.

The UAE joined the existing red list of 30 countries – mainly in South America and southern Africa – along with Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa.

It could have a much wider impact for British travellers returning from further afield because Abu Dhabi and Dubai are also major international transit hubs. Thousands more planning to travel back from Asia and Australasia will now see onward flights axed.

Fitness influencer Sheridan Mordew, 24, from Sunderland, arrived in Dubai on January 2, just a few days before the third national lockdown

Geordie Shore’s Sophie Kasaei is another reality TV star who has been out in Dubai recently

Asked yesterday what now constitutes essential travel, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I think if it’s an essential humanitarian reason, if there is a powerful business reason, we can look at specific case by case reasons why people should travel.

‘But we’re very clear that people should not be travelling abroad to go on holiday, to boost their Instagram profile… for anything other than essential reasons.’

The travel industry warned yesterday that the UAE move raised fears of more countries being added to the red list.

Paul Charles, chief executive of The PC Agency, said: ‘The Government will need to be clear on why countries are being added. If it grows each week it will sap consumer confidence in future travel.’

Q&A: How will the new border controls work? What are quarantine hotels? How much will they cost?

Tougher border controls have been announced in a bid to protect the UK against the spread of new coronavirus variants. Here is how the policies will work:

What are quarantine hotels?

UK nationals and residents returning from one of 30 listed countries will be taken to a Government-approved hotel where they must self-isolate for 10 days. Foreign nationals and non-UK residents from those destinations – which include South America, southern Africa and Portugal – are already banned from entering the UK.

How much will they cost?

The finances have not been announced but it could cost in excess of £1,000 per person.

Which hotels will be included?

This has not been confirmed but hotel chain Best Western said it was ready to ‘step in’.

When will the policy be introduced?

That has also not been announced. The delay will allow people to return home without the additional hotel stay.

What is happening with enforcement of existing rules?

Home Secretary Priti Patel said there are ‘still too many people coming in and out of our country each day’. There will be an increased police presence at ports and airports, fining those in breach of the stay-at-home regulations.

Will I have to give a valid reason to leave the UK?

Passengers will be required to declare their reason for travel, such as for business. Operators are being told not to allow people to board if their trip is not essential.

Why are further border measures being launched?

Hotel quarantine has been proposed as a way to ensure people follow self-isolation rules relating to international travel, and guard against new variants of coronavirus entering the country. Amid significant pressure on the NHS, there are concerns about the risks posed by strains identified in South Africa and Brazil.

What were the existing rules for arrivals to the UK?

Direct flights to the UK from South Africa, Brazil and Portugal are suspended but British residents are permitted to return through indirect routes and then self-isolate at home. More widely, anyone entering the country from abroad, including UK nationals returning home, must provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test result taken up to three days before departure. Travellers must also self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival even if they tested negative. In England, travellers may be able to end self-isolation early if they pay for a private coronavirus test.

How long would new quarantine hotels be in place for?

This is as yet unknown. Conservative former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said measures should be about ‘buying us enough time’, adding: ‘We don’t know which countries these variants are arising in.’

Have other countries used hotel quarantines?

Yes. Australia became one of the first countries to introduce mandatory hotel quarantine in March, while the practice was also introduced in China, New Zealand, India, Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, Qatar and Thailand. Writing on the Institute for Government website last week, Sarah Nickson, a senior researcher, said Australia’s two-week hotel quarantine rule for arrivals, and border closure to non-citizens, had ‘undoubtedly helped limit its case numbers and deaths’, with it seeing around 900 deaths attributed to Covid-19 with 28,000 confirmed cases. New Zealand has also been hailed for its tough response at its border during the coronavirus pandemic, with it recording only 25 Covid-19 related deaths among 2,290 cases.