Instagram stars flee UK lockdown for holidays in Dubai

While much of the UK is now shut down for both business and pleasure – with no end to the latest lockdown looking likely until Spring – those with money, time and an appetite for glamour appear to have long since hot-footed it to the Middle East’s glitziest holiday playground. 

When Boris announced he was putting the nation into a third, super-strict lockdown shortly after 8pm on Monday 5th January, he effectively slammed shut suitcases for the next six weeks – but plenty seem to have escaped to Dubai at the 11th hour to enjoy much more relaxed Covid rules. Instagram has been awash in recent days with families and reality TV stars showing off the fun they’re having on their sunny new year breaks.   

Indeed, tourists who travelled after the PM put parts of the country into tier 4 on Sunday 20th December appear to have very much got away with flouting the rules, and are unlikely to face much scrutiny upon their return. 

The sun-drenched emirate has worked hard to reassure tourists that it’s very much business as usual with five-star hotels, restaurants and bars all operating at near normal levels, and attractions such as the Wadi Rum water park and indoor ski slope, Ski Dubai, still very much taking bookings from visiting tourists. 

While other holiday destinations require a negative Covid test before you fly out of the UK – costing around £149 per person – Dubai has offered them on landing at the airport for free for those who arrive without the necessary paperwork, offering a saving of around £600 per family compared to many other countries. 

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HOW MUCH IS IT BUSINESS AS USUAL IN DUBAI?

While Covid restrictions are certainly in place, those waking up in Dubai are currently enjoying a very different set of rules. The emirate’s famously luxurious dining scene – which includes the likes of Nobu, The Ivy and Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Kitchen – continues to thrive, with partitioning screens and masks enforced, but no-one required to wear them while seated. 

Table numbers are remarkably generous too, the UAE’s governors set the limit at eight people in October and it remains in place. Hotels, including the striking six-star Burj Al Arab, have introduced digital check-ins, masks in public areas and temperature checks.  

Dubai’s most famous tourist attractions, the Wadi Rum waterpark has social distancing and safety measures including hand sanitiser in place but remains open, as does Ski Dubai, the emirate’s indoor snow park. 

Beaches are open, and shopping malls including the biggest, The Dubai Mall, simply require masks and social distancing, ensuring holidaying Brits are free to splash their cash. 

DID UK TOURISTS IN DUBAI DODGE RULES TO GET OUT THERE?    

While tier 4 restrictions would in theory have stopped holidaymakers from travelling to Dubai unless they fitted into the Government’s strict rules on international travel – business or family emergencies – tiers one to three were more relaxed, giving thousands the green light to board flights.  

However, it’s clear that tier 4 relied on self-policing, so many could have flouted the rules to make a last-gasp break for the sun. 

Britons flying out in recent weeks will have had to provide evidence of a negative Covid test for 96 hours before travel, and if they can’t produce paper evidence at Dubai International Airport, they would have been given a free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on arrival. Children under 12 were not required to offer evidence that they were Covid free. 

Instagram influencers who count social media as their full-time job may well have been able to make the 7-hour flight by classing the trip as business; many sharing images over the festive period have been publishing sponsored posts promoting companies they work with.  

…AND WILL THEY BE ABLE TO GET BACK? 

While those stuck in lockdown under freezing January skies might wish for those currently enjoying the Dubai sunshine to not enjoy an easy return to the UK, the likelihood is they’ll be just fine. Those who test positive while in the emirate must isolate for ten days. 

Current UK guidance suggests there’s no need for an immediate return, although the Government has suggested that it could bring in new rules that would require a negative Covid test to land on UK soil. 

CAN YOU STILL FLY OUT?  

The Government has been unflinching in suggesting that even leaving your home during the current lockdown is against guidance. That said, flights haven’t stopped. 

A family of two adults and three children could board a flight to Dubai International Airport tomorrow, although economy tickets with Middle Eastern airline Emirates currently cost around £2,200 each.   

British Airways told MailOnline: ‘We are reviewing our flight schedule​ following the announcement of new national lockdown restrictions. Our focus is on keeping crucial air links open – transporting vital goods and ensuring people who are permitted to travel can continue to do so safely. ​As always, if a customer’s flight is cancelled we offer a range of options including a full refund.​’

It’s unclear how much people are being scrutinised over their reasons for travel. Upon arrival, anyone travelling to Dubai must still provide evidence that they’re Covid-free via a test in the UK or a PCR test on arrival.