By Joy Chakravarty Dubai, Aug 4 : : The UAE government has allowed resident visa holders from six countries, including India, to return to the Emirates. Starting Thursday, August 5, travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and hold valid residency permits will be allowed to board flights and return. This was announced by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) and the General Civil Aviation Authority. This move comes as a welcome news for thousands of individuals who have been forced to stay away from their families after they got stuck back home when the entry ban was imposed. Apart from India, the five other countries exempted are Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda. The travellers will have to get a negative RT-PCR test result within 48 hours from their time of travel. They will have to undergo a Rapid Antigen test before boarding the flight and a further RT-PCR testing and home quarantine on arrival to the UAE. Flights to the UAE from many countries were suspended because of the pandemic and spike in the number of cases. Flights were expected to restart on August 7, but that date is likely to be extended further. Further exemption on vaccination was made for medical staff, including doctors, nurses and technicians working in the UAE, as well as for expats working in the education sector. Students in various educational institutes in the country and those with humanitarian issues and workers in federal and local government agencies are also allowed in. The above can return to the country irrespective of whether they are vaccinated. Those coming to the UAE to complete their medical treatment are also in the excluded category. Also allowed to enter are participants in the Expo 2020 in Dubai. All travellers need to apply online through the website of the Federal Authority for Identity Citizenship and attach their vaccination certificates approved by competent authorities to get the necessary approvals. They also need to submit the pre-travel negative RT-PCR test result from accredited laboratories with a QR Code. Earlier, only UAE citizens and their first-degree relatives, diplomatic personnel, official delegations, and UAE residents with gold or silver residency permit were among the eight categories that were allowed to travel from these countries. /IANS