A European couple who have called Dubai their home for nearly two decades have been given special permission to enter the emirate in order to be reunited with their two-year-old daughter. The couple had been on a short holiday in Cape Town when the UAE authorities suddenly suspended all visas, including for residence visa holders, as part of its steps to stem the spread of the novel Coronavirus.
Mark Hill, a British citizen and his Italian wife, Chiara Maion had left Dubai on March 12 for a short holiday in Cape Town, South Africa and had originally intended to come back on March 21. The couple said they decided not to take their daughter with them on a long-haul flight because she had been born prematurely.
Instead, she was left in the care of a nanny and home help, as well as other family members and friends who live in Dubai. But what should have been a short holiday turned into a much longer nightmare.
With flights being disrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic the couple decided to return to Dubai early – unfortunately, flight cancellations scuppered their plans and they didn’t manage to secure a flight until March 19.
But it was too late – the very same day, the UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship banned all visa holders from entering the country. Mark and Chiara found themselves stuck in South Africa with no way of being allowed into the UAE and to make matters worse, several days later the South African government closed its borders.
The couple decided to take up their case directly with the authorities in the UAE and eventually, government officials made arrangements for the couple to be allowed to return to Dubai – a privilege that is currently normally only reserved for Emirati citizens by birth.
Not that Mark and Chiara will get to see their daughter straight away. Like anyone else allowed to return to the UAE, they’ll need to spend 14-days in mandatory quarantine in an airport hotel.
“We are so happy and so very grateful to the UAE Government and the respective Italian embassies and consulates,” Chiara said after landing back into Dubai International Airport. Mark also expressed his gratitude, noting that support was provided by Italian diplomats but not British officials.
“It is nice to be back home. Dubai is my home and my children’s home,” Mark said of his return. “We were counting each second during the past one month,” his wife continued, as they prepared to enter quarantine but happy to be one step closer to seeing their daughter again.
