India has asked its nationals not to travel to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait via the UAE and get stranded in this country, in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the region. In a statement posted on Twitter on Monday, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi said: "It has been brought to the attention of the Embassy of Indian in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India, Dubai that several Indian nationals intending to travel to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have got stranded in the UAE."
"Due to COVID-related restrictions on incoming passengers, currently it is not possible for Indian nationals to transit via Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait," the statement said.
The UAE has recorded a slight uptick in its daily count of COVID-19 cases in the last one month, when the economy reopened.
In total, the coronavirus has claimed 947 lives, along with 332,603 confirmed cases, in the UAE, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Abu Dhabi and Dubai are major transit points for flyers from India travelling to other Gulf countries, even North Africa and Europe.
The Indian embassy said: "All Indian nationals are, therefore, advised to kindly ascertain the latest COVID-related travel guidelines of their final destination country before embarking on an outward journey from India. They are also advised to carry enough personal provisions and funds to cater to any emergent requirements."
Saudi Arabia suspended entry to the Kingdom for non-citizens from 20 specific countries, including India and Pakistan, as it stepped up efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the official Saudi Press Agency reported last Tuesday, citing an official source at the Interior Ministry.
Indians, who are already in the UAE en route to Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, have been advised to consider returning to India and to make their further travel plan only after the restrictions in the final destinations countries are lifted.
It may be noted that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have recorded more coronavirus-related deaths than the UAE, at 6,406 and 969 deaths respectively, according to Johns Hopkins University.
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