DUBAI: Abu Dhabi has updated its green list of countries from where people arriving into the UAE’s capital will not have to quarantine. 

The emirate’s green list, which comes into effect on Jan. 3, includes Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Syria, Yemen and the US.

An updated Green List of countries, regions and territories from where individuals can enter #AbuDhabi emirate has been released, effective 3 January 2022. pic.twitter.com/bgELWZRg0V

— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@admediaoffice) January 1, 2022

The new list comes as the UAE announced that citizens will be banned from leaving the country starting Jan. 10 if they are not vaccinated. 

According to the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), all passengers arriving from destinations included in the green list will be exempt from mandatory quarantine measures on arrival in the emirate. 

All travelers will be required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result, taken no more than 48 hours prior to departure, and undergo additional testing upon arrival at Abu Dhabi International Airport. 

DCT Abu Dhabi clarified in its announcement that vaccinated passengers coming from green list countries will have to take another PCR test on day 6 of their stay in Abu Dhabi, with their day of arrival counting as day 1. 

Meanwhile, unvaccinated travelers arriving from countries included in the recently announced green list will be required to undergo additional PCR testing on days 6 and 9 of their stay in the capital. 

Abu Dhabi’s department of culture and tourism said countries, regions, and territories included on the ‘green Llst’ will be regularly updated based on international developments of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

They also explained that the new green list grants passengers entry if their inbound travel origin is one of the countries listed, not their citizenship.