Oman to Open up its UAE Land Border Starting September 1st
With 67% of the world population having been administered vaccinations, the world’s health restrictions are slightly easing. Oman has recently decided to open up their UAE land borders starting from the 1st of September, 2021, to vaccinated travelers. The committee responsible for controlling COVID-19 announced last Wednesday that the borders will be opened due to the decrease in cases of infection and deaths.
Since the start of the pandemic, Oman’s borders have been shut down due to health precautions, and traveling into and out of Oman was not permitted. Although restrictions have eased up since then, the second and third wave, as well as the additional variants of the virus, resulted in strict precautions being enforced again.
In the last couple of months, businessmen visiting from the GCC were allowed to enter Oman for business purposes, under the condition that they have an official letter from their employer addressing the urgency of their business trip.
People rejoice
“I was waiting for this news for months now, for the borders to be opened. I missed [driving] to Dubai to shop and to relax. It is good news and my family and I will be among the first people to go through the Oman-Dubai border on the very first day of opening.”
Salah Al Harthy, a civil servant in Muscat told The National.
“The land borders between Oman and the UAE will be open on September 1. People who will be travelling from the two countries using the land borders will need to be vaccinated and will be required to do PCR tests too.”
Dr. Said Al Abri, director general of disease control at the Health Ministry said.
“I have a building material shop in Sohar [in Oman], which is only an hour and a half’s drive to Hatta in Dubai [emirate], where I have a restaurant. My business in Hatta was not going well when the land borders between the two countries was shut. It is good the borders are opening now to give me an opportunity to put my business in Dubai in good order.”
Suhail Jamal, a Turkish businessman in Sohar said.
