The UK government on Saturday said all inbound travellers to England would now be required to take a pre-departure Covid test, while Nigeria became the latest addition to its red list for travel.
UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government had decided to move after receiving new data about the spread of the Omicron variant, which was first identified in southern Africa.
"Since we have learnt of this new variant our strategy has been to buy time. We have always said we will act swiftly should new data require it," he told journalists.
"Over recent days we have learnt of a significant number of growing cases linked to travel with Nigeria.
"There are 27 cases already in England and that's growing. Nigeria now is second only to South Africa in terms of linked cases to Omicron."
The UK's Omicron confirmed cases number now stands at 160.
Under the new UK travel rules, from 4am on Monday only British and Irish nationals travelling from Nigeria will be allowed into the country and they must isolate in a government-managed quarantine hotel.
And from 4am on Tuesday, anyone travelling to the UK from countries not on the red list will be required to take a pre-departure test a maximum of 48 hours before leaving, regardless of their vaccination status.
The data that prompted the rule changes came from the UK Health and Security Agency. It indicated symptoms take less time to appear after infection with Omicron than in other variants.
"Given the reduced incubation period of the Omicron variant, passengers are advised to take the pre-departure test as close as possible to their scheduled departure to the UK and no earlier than 48 hours before travelling," said the UK's healthy ministry.
Nigeria races to start vaccine boosting
Nigeria earlier on Saturday confirmed it will start vaccine booster shots from next week.
Faisal Shuaib, executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, said booster shots will be available from December10 for those that have been fully vaccinated. Only 2.9 per cent of Nigerians eligible to get vaccines have been inoculated so far.
The Omicron Covid variant poses a high risk of infection and has highlighted the disparity between vaccination programmes in rich nations and the developing world.
The Nigerian government is planning a huge vaccination campaign with the aim of reaching herd immunity by the end of January.
Mr Shuaib said booster shots will be available for those that have "completed two doses of AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, or one dose of Johnson & Johnson."
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
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The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap (TB) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Switzerland, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner Lord Giltters, Adrie de Vries, David O’Meara
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
9.25pm Al Fahidi Fort Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Land Of Legends, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
10pm Dubai Dash Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner Equilateral, Frankie Dettori, Charles Hills.
