Uganda’s health ministry has on Friday suspended all passenger flights originating from India as of Saturday, 1st May 2021, midnight until further notice.
The ministry further announced that, “No travelers from India shall be allowed into Uganda regardless of the route of travel.
All travelers who may have been in India or travelled through India in the last 14 days regardless of route taken shall not be allowed into Uganda.”
All travelers arriving from India before suspension date regardless of the route of travel are expected to: be in possession of a negative PCR COVID 19 test certificate that is digitally verifiable conducted within 120 hours from the time of sample removal.
Undergo a mandatory PCR test upon arrival. All those who test positive shall undergo isolation at a government approved isolation center at their own cost.
Those who test negative shall undergo self-quarantine under the supervision of MOH with mandatory re-testing between 5 to 10 days.
Uganda has however exempted the following flights and travelers from India from the suspension: Cargo flights where crew do not disembark, Technical stops where travelers do not disembark, Aircraft in a state of emergency.
Also exempted are: Operations related to humanitarian aid, medical evacuation and diplomatic flights approved by the Appropriate Authority like Nationals returning home after medical treatment in India.
Travelers from USA, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, South Africa, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Tanzania have also been urged to consider postponing non-essential travel to Uganda.
Uganda on Thursday detected its first case of COVID-19 variant from India.
In Kenya, Kenya Airways (KQ) on Friday suspended all passenger flights to and from Mumbai until further notice. The last passenger flight is set to arrive in Nairobi from Mumbai before midnight on Saturday 1st of May.
KQ cargo operations are however set to continue in order to facilitate delivery of emergency supplies including pharmaceuticals and medical equipment to Kenya and across Africa.
In a statement, KQ said, “customers affected by the suspension can change their bookings for later travel or exchange their booking for a voucher that can be used for future travels within 12 months.”
India is currently experiencing a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The country has thus far recorded 19,187,000 coronavirus cases and 211,498 deaths.