Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Kenya will open its airspace to passenger flights on August 1. /CFM-FILE.

Capital Health

Kenya will not quarantine tourists with no COVID-19 symptoms

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 8- The government now says only passengers who will exhibit coronavirus-like symptoms will be subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine once their airspace is open for international passenger flights on August 1.

Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said anybody who will come to Kenya with no symptoms of coronavirus and record a body temperature of less than 37.5 degrees celsius will be allowed to leave the airport.

“You do not expect a tourist to come all the way from wherever they will come from to be quarantined here for 14 days. If that will be the case, then they will not come. However, if there is  a suspected case on the flight, passengers on the first and the second row from where the case was will all be tested for coronavirus,” Macharia told a news conference at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday as the country prepared to re-open so as to rescue the economy.

“If they test negative, they will be allowed to leave the airport, if they test positive then they will be quarantined according to the Ministry of Health’s guidelines,”  

The CS said airports across the country will operate under strict restrcitions, only allowing travellers and staff locking out people escorting passengers.

International passenger flights will resume operations on August 1 in measures President Uhuru Kenyatta said are aimed at cushioning the aviation and tourism sector that is worst affected since March when the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the country.

“International air travel in and out of Kenya shall resume effective August 1, in strict conformity with all protocols from the ministry of health,” President Kenyatta said on Monday during his State of the Nation Address.

All international flights to and from Kenya were suspended on March 25 in measures to curtail the spread of the coronavirus disease.

National carrier Kenya Airways grounded most of its operations save for cargo and government-approved repatriation flights.

Domestic flights in Kenya will resume operations beginning July 15 subject to virus prevention protocols.

Comments

More on Capital News

NATIONAL NEWS

The criticism came days after Gachagua faced backlash for urging Gen Z protesters to abandon the streets and register as voters for 2027, remarks...

County News

"ODM will never be party to unconstitutional efforts to change government, nor will we associate with individuals harbouring such intentions,” Aladwa said after chairing...

Africa

The Fellowship seeks to offer a strategic investment in building Africa’s next generation of peacebuilders, negotiators, and disarmament experts.

NATIONAL NEWS

Chirchir explained that the government turned to securitization to raise Sh175 billion to pay off verified pending bills inherited from the Uhuru Kenyatta administration.

County News

The incitement reports come just days after a wave of violence in which the county government offices in Molo were set ablaze during Gen...

County News

According to villagers and local administrators, the fire broke out around 7:30 p.m. in one of the bedrooms where the children were asleep.

NATIONAL NEWS

The Auditor General reviewed the programme's operations between the 2020/2021 and 2023/2024 financial years, flagging serious weaknesses in how funds were disbursed and utilized.

NATIONAL NEWS

Investigators further established that the encroached land includes critical school infrastructure, such as the dining hall, dormitories, and sewer system.