After UAE suspending all regular passenger flights due to the coronavirus spread, more than 29,000 UAE residents stuck abroad without any information on how to return home country and how long they have to stay overseas.
There was created a special Facebook page, “UAE Expats Stuck Abroad”, for UAE residents while being outside the country to support and communicate with each other. Recently, UAE airlines like Etihad and Emirates launched a limited series of flights to repatriate any stuck foreigners and at the same time to return all the residents home.
Those residents who want to come back, need to fill out a Twajudi form on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) website. The applicant has to state the reason for being out of the country, Emirates ID number, residency number and a photocopy of your residency visa if possible potential travel details.
This form allows MoFAIC to prioritize citizens remained abroad, who need to return as soon as possible due to urgent medical requirements or longstanding separation of parents with their children. Also, UAE sets a priority to get back teachers and healthcare workers.
The official announcement on when all UAE residents can expect to return has not been issued. However, thanks to UAE airlines, 2,286 Emiratis have returned home from 43 countries and more than 22,000 people have been repatriated after they stuck in the country due to travel restrictions.
Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus which is causing illness in humans and animals. Most people infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus will feel mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without any special treatment. Older people, as well as those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness, and require immediate assistance. Novel Coronavirus was first identified in a cluster with pneumonia symptoms in Wuhan city, Hubei province of China, quickly spreading around the world. On early March 2020, the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic had officially started, becoming the defining global health crisis of our time. Today, it is the greatest challenge people have faced since World War II, worsened by subsequent lockdowns of whole countries, collapse of entire industries, and a major economic recession.