Travellers from six countries globally will be required to undergo mandatory quarantine upon arrival into the country effective March 8, 2020.
According to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, travelers from Brunei, Czech Republic, Kuwait, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand will be required to undergo 14-day mandatory quarantine upon touch down at their own cost.
According to KCAA, travelers shall be required to be in possession of a negative PCR-based COVID-19 test result conducted within 72 hours before travel and not display any flu-like symptoms upon arrival. Further, travelers will be required to provide evidence of their booking for the quarantine locations 24hrs before boarding.
“….be in possession of a negative PCR-based COVID-19 test result conducted within 72hours before travel and not display any flu-like symptoms upon arrival.” Said KCAA in a statement.
“Travelers will be required to provide evidence of their booking for the quarantine locations 24hrs before boarding,” KCAA added.
Previously, travelers quarantined in government facilities such as Kenyatta University and Kenya Medical Training Colleges across the country at their own cost. Schools were also used as quarantine facilities however with the resumption of learning that option will no longer be viable. Other quarantine facilities included hotels.
Besides the 6 restricted countries, KCAA also released a list of 204 countries that will be allowed into the country without restriction. Among them are the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), China, Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana and Zimbabwe.
Coronavirus cases in Kenya have been on the rise in the past week, putting on average 480 cases that have been reported on a daily basis.
Other countries that have introduced travel bans and mandatory own cost quarantine include Britain. The country has made it mandatory for all travelers to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours before travelling, to be allowed entry. According to a BBC report, travelers must then self isolate. Arrivals must then take a coronavirus test on days two and eight of quarantine, at a cost of Ksh.27,394.86. If they test positive, they must self-isolate for a further 10 days.
In the UK, failure to take the COVID-19 test attracts a penalty of Ksh.151,917, followed by Ksh.303,834 for failing to take the second one, with quarantine automatically extended by 4 days.
There are currently travel bans on 33 countries where the risk of a new variant is greatest; they include Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique and Namibia.
Others include Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Travelers who have been in those countries within 10 days before travelling are already banned from entry, unless they are UK residents or Irish nationals.
