Once a popular weekend getaway, Armenia is now a top choice for a two-week quarantine before flying home to the Emirates Armenia has turned into a sought-after quarantine centre for hundreds of Indian travelers serving Covid-19 regulations before they are cleared to enter the UAE. Indians trying to get back to their jobs, businesses and family are taking long routes back to the Emirates. They spend two weeks quarantine in countries from where travel to the UAE is considered safe during movement restrictions to control the spread of Covid-19 variants.
The UAE suspended incoming flights from India on April 25 and the ban is likely to be in place until the end of the month. Travellers say Armenia – one of the most affordable places within a three-hour flight of Dubai and Abu Dhabi – replaced the Maldives as a popular quarantine spot after the resort islands banned the entry of passengers from India last month.
People spend a little over Dh4,000 on flights, accommodation and food in Armenia. They post information on Facebook and WhatsApp groups to help with information on the routes they took.
The past few months were an emotional upheaval for Sujay Sarigommula, 35. He is finally back in Dubai using the Armenia route after cremating his father in India. The engineer knows of at least 150 UAE residents completing quarantine requirements in Armenia. Greyar Dsouza, 29, was among the last groups of Indians allowed into the Maldives before the nation of 1,192 islands shut its doors last month to travellers from India. He was always nervous about not making it back to the UAE. “The fear was always there in case of a rule change,” he said. “What if I tested positive for Covid, I can’t go to India or the UAE? I would be stuck in a country where I didn’t know anyone.”
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