Saudi Gazette report

ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates on Thursday unveiled an initiative to bring back around 200,000 residents who have valid visas and are stranded overseas following the suspension of international flights due to global outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Announcing the initiative, the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) said that it would coordinate with the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in carrying out the operation.

“The #UAE has launched an initiative to return residents with valid visas who have been staying outside the country due to #Covid19. The initiative targets the return of nearly 200,000 people and will be coordinated between the @MOFAICUAE and the @icauae,” ICA tweeted.

Meanwhile, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), the federal body responsible for coordinating the national response to emergencies and crises, provided the details of the plan in a series of tweets.

“The #UAE will continue its intensive efforts to combat #Covid19, both internally and externally, to protect citizens and residents across the UAE,” the NCEMA said in a tweet.

“Approximately 31,000 residents have already returned to the #UAE between March 25 to June 8 2020, these cases were prioritized based on family matters and humanitarian cases,” the tweet added.

“Regarding the procedures used to obtain approval to return, individuals are required to register with the “Resident Entry Permit” service on the website (http://Smartservice.ica.gov.ae), and all requests submitted will be answered within 48 hours,” the NCEMA stated in a tweet.

“After obtaining the approval, the individual will be able to complete the booking of a return ticket on the national carriers or other airlines that operate flights to the #UAE, based on the e-mail received by the @icauae,” the tweet explained.

“#Covid19 checks will be conducted for travelers arriving in the UAE, and they will be obligated to undertake quarantine for a period of 14 days, any cost will be incurred by the traveler.”

“In addition, travelers must use one of the special apps approved to track their health status, in order to preserve their safety and the safety of society, the NCEMA informed all those who seek to make the most of the initiative.