Influencers face mad dash back to Britain as Dubai added to UK’s quarantine ‘red list’ with travel banned from TOMORROW

0
407

INFLUENCERS face a mad dash back to Britain after Dubai was added to the UK’s quarantine ‘red list’ with travel banned from tomorrow.

Reality stars Love Island’s Georgia Harrison, and TOWIE’s James Lock and Yazmin Oukhellou are among those who’ve jetted to the glitzy UAE destination.

Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

Yazmin Oukhellou has posted poolside pics from sun-kissed Dubai

Georgia Harrison has shared photos from Dubia with her Instgram followers

Glamorous snaps shared with their millions of Instagram followers have flaunted their lavish lifestyles while the UK was in coronavirus lockdown.

But influencers were hit with a backlash after accusations they’ve used loopholes to claim lockdown trips abroad are work-related.

And they now face a 10-day stay in a basic Covid quarantine hotel if they return to the UK from next month after travel restrictions were placed on the UAE.

Dubai was today added to the UK’s ‘red list,’ meaning all travel is banned excluding UK nationals returning to the country from tomorrow.

DUBAI DASH

British nationals will have to quarantine for ten days at home on return to the UK – but won’t have to do it at a hotel yet, as the new scheme is not yet enforced.

They can’t use the ‘Test to Release’ scheme, which allows anyone who tests negative for Covid to end quarantine after five days.

When the quarantine hotel restrictions are in place – expected to be from February 8 – travellers from 33 countries on the high-risk list must pay to self-isolate at a government-approved hotel for 10 days.

It could spark a scramble to get home from Brits hoping to swerve hotel self-isolation.

Georgia Harrison is now living in Dubai

TOWIE’s James Lock and Yazmin Oukhellou are among those who have flocked to Dubai

Influencers bragging of sunshine breaks during the pandemic were slammed by Home Secretary Priti Patel this week.

She said: “People should simply not be travelling. 

“We see plenty of influencers showing off where they are – mainly sunny places.”

Towie star James Lock, 33, and his girlfriend Yazmin Oukhellou, 26, are among those currently in Dubai.

The couple have posed next to pools and sun loungers as they lap up the sunshine.

Yazmin, who has defended the trip, is expected to return to the UK to film a new series of TOWIE in March.

This week, she said: “I know a lot of people are getting a lot of stick for travelling out here at the moment, but we have come out here to work.

“I’ve started doing skincare and we’re looking to get a salon in Dubai. It’s a bit of work and pleasure – obviously, we’re going to enjoy the sun while we’re here.”

Fitness influencer Sherdidan Mordew was slammed this week over her trip to Dubai

Sheridan insisted the visit was “purely for business”

Love Island’s Laura Anderson said she was desperate to go to a gym as she posed in a bikini in Dubai

Fitness influencer Sheridan Mordew, 24, was criticised this week after jetting to Dubai to escape the third national lockdown on January 4.

Sheridan was branded “selfish” and “disgraceful” after claiming on This Morning that her work – posting sun-soaked selfies and outdoor fitness classes – was essential. 

She claimed the Dubai trip was “purely for business”, but Philip Schofield replied “a lot of the fitness stuff, this could be in your garage in Bolton, you don’t have to be in Dubai to do that.”

Love Island‘s Anton Danyluk, 26, this month defended his Dubai trip – telling fans he’s working on business opportunities and “not taking the p**

‘COPING MECHANISM’

Fellow Love Islander Georgia Harrison, 26, is currently living in Dubai after relocating to the UAE during the Covid pandemic.

And Laura Anderson, 31, who starred in the ITV 2 show, moaned it’s “really hard” to be an influencer after a Dubai trip.

The 2018 contestant, who is now back in the UK, said the visit was a “coping mechanism” to deal with Covid.

F1 heiress Tamara Ecclestone, 36, husband Jay Rutland, 39, and their two daughters flew to Dubai last month, but don’t intend to return to the UK soon.

Speaking from Dubai, Mr Rutland told MailOnline: “There are a host of reasons why we are not going back to London any time soon and security is one of them.

“The truth is we are playing it month by month and watching how the situation develops.”

He added: “We have not broken the lockdown rules to come Dubai, that is not what we have done.”

Anton Danyluk has defended his trip to Dubai

Tamara Ecclestone, husband Jay Rutland and their two daughters – Sophia, six, and baby Serena, four months have jetted to Dubai for a holiday, but aren’t coming back to the UK soon