Tanzania missing from a list of countries allowed to fly into Kenya

By Samuel Ouma

The government of Kenya has produced a list of 11 countries whose citizens will be allowed to fly into the country when the international flights resume on August 1, 2020.

The list unveiled by the Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia on Thursday had China, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Zimbabwe and France. Others are Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Namibia and Morocco.

Speaking during the daily press briefing on Covid-19, Mr. Macharia said the government selected only countries whose Coronavirus cases have declined stating that the list is subjected to change since the virus situation keeps on changing.

He said the ministry had laid protocols to be followed by both travellers flying in and out of the country.

The minister averred that arriving passengers with a PCR-based COVID-19 negative certificate and body temperature not exceeding 37.5°C and do not have difficulty in breathing, repeated cough and proved they were tested 96 hours before travel will be excused from quarantine.

Passengers who arrive after curfew that is after 9pm will have to produce a valid passport and a boarding pass before being allowed to proceed to their residential places or hotels. Their drivers will also have to prove they were from the airport.

Passengers flying out of the country will be required to abide to Covid-19 regulations of the destination countries.

Missing from the list is Kenya’s neighbour Tanzania which has not reported Coronavirus cases since April. Tanzanian President John Magufuli had declared the country Covid-19 free.

On July 27 while address the nation, President Uhuru Kenyatta cautioned Kenyans against thinking that countries which are not releasing the novel virus data are doing better in handling the respiratory disease.

“Let’s not compare ourselves and say some places don’t have the virus. Why do we have it, and they don’t? Let me remind Kenyans, we live in a democracy where there is media freedom. As a state, we don’t have the power to hide anything. Whatever happens, we tell you. There are others who have that power. But we are proud of the fact that we are a democracy and are able to tell each other the truth and face the reality instead of sweeping the truth under the carpet and have our citizens suffer quietly,” Uhuru said.

The Ministry of Health on Thursday confirmed 788 new cases pushing the country’s tally to 19,913.

14 others died raising death toll to 235.

The number of recoveries hit 8, 121 after 100 people got discharged.