Health and Travel Alert: The Government of Kenya lifts the suspension of international flights entering and departing the country on August 1st 2020

Health and Travel Alert: The Government of Kenya lifts the suspension of international flights entering and departing the country on August 1st 2020

Location:  Kenya

 Event:  The Government of Kenya lifts the suspension of international flights entering and departing the country on August 1st. 

• Passengers entering Kenya are required to present a negative COVID-19 test result.  The test result is valid for entry if produced no more than seven days before deplaning in Kenya.
• There is no mandatory quarantine for arriving passengers unless they are symptomatic.
• Passenger Locator Cards (PLC, provided both on the flight and at the airport terminal) will be used to track passengers entering Kenya.
• Passengers may be subject to quarantine restrictions if any passengers within two rows of their seat appear symptomatic. 
• Passengers departing Kenya should follow COVID-19 requirements of the destination country.  There is no COVID-19 test requirement to depart Kenya.
• At the airport, temperature checks will help identify passengers with a body temperature of 37.5°C (99.5°F) or higher. Any passenger with an elevated body temperature shall be referred for secondary assessment by Port Health staff present at the airport who will handle the passenger in accordance with public health guidelines.  If a passenger is confirmed to have a fever he/she will not be allowed to board their flight.
• Evidence of a flight is sufficient to exempt drivers from any penalty who are collecting or depositing passengers from flights arriving after curfew hours.

Reminder:  U. S. Embassy Nairobi strongly recommends that U.S. Citizens and nationals enroll in STEP, the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, at step.state.gov. STEP enrollees receive important information from the Embassy about health conditions, safety alerts, and travel updates. Enrollment enables the Embassy to contact you in the event of an emergency. If you have previously enrolled in STEP, we recommend that you log into your STEP account to ensure your details are current, your country of travel information is correct, and that you set your departure date as ‘indefinite.’ These steps will enable you to receive all our embassy messaging. For any immediate need, U.S. citizens in an emergency can call 1-888-407-4747 from the United States and Canada or (plus) 1-202-501-4444 from overseas.

 Actions to Take:

·         Visit the Kenyan Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 website for updated information.

·         Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.

·         For the most recent information on what you can do to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19 please see the CDC’s latest recommendations.

·         Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.

·         Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 for information on conditions in Kenya

·         Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the U.S.

Country-Specific Information:

·         As of July 29, 2020 there are 17,975 confirmed cases of COVID-19 throughout Kenya, with 7,833 recovered patients and 285 related deaths.

·         The cessation of movement order that barred entry into and out of Nairobi, Mombasa and Mandera counties lapsed on July 7th.  Any movement by public transport vehicles into and out of these areas requires transport providers to first acquire mandatory certification from the Ministry of Health, in consultation with the Ministry of Transport. Users of public or private transport are required to wear a protective mask.

·         On June 6 it was announced that nightly curfew hours were revised to 9:00 pm to 4:00 am. The national curfew was extended for an additional 30 days on July 27th. Those violating the curfew may be arrested and put in mandatory quarantine for 14 days. Those taken into government quarantine will not be charged a fee for their stay at the facility.

·         On July 6 the GoK announced that the prohibition against social and political gatherings is extended for an additional 30 days.

·         Bars are closed until further notice.  There are no sales of alcoholic drinks and beverages in eateries and restaurants throughout Kenya effective July 28^th.  The closing time for restaurants and eateries was amended from 8pm to 7pm as of July 28th, for the next 30 days.

·         Places of worship may begin phased re-opening in conformity with applicable guidelines developed by the Inter-Faith Council.  As outlined on July 6, guidelines mandate a maximum of one hundred (100) participants allowed at each worship ceremony and must not be more than one hour in duration. In-person worship shall not include congregants under age thirteen (13) years or over fifty-eight (58) or persons with underlying health conditions. Sunday schools and madrassas will remain suspended until further notice.

·         On May 16th, movement restrictions were imposed into and out of Kenya through the Kenyan-Tanzania and Kenyan-Somali international borders, with exceptions for cargo vehicles.

·         Domestic air travel resumed on July 15th under Ministry of Health and Transport guidelines. International flights will resume August 1st.

·         According to a July 7 announcement by CS Magoha, basic educational institutions will reopen January 2021. University and colleges may open in September 2020 after meeting strict COVID-19 regulations.

Entry and Exit Requirements:

·         The Government of Kenya established an online portal to extend visitor and resident visas.  Please see: https://fns.immigration.go.ke/       

Quarantine Information:

·         If any person exhibits symptoms such as cough, or fever, they should present themselves to the nearest health facility for testing. Those taken into government quarantine will not be charged a fee for their stay at the facility.

·         Medical quarantine will be extended an extra 14 days for those who test positive for COVID-19 in government quarantine facilities. 

·         On June 15, the GoK updated the list of approved quarantine facilities. There are nine government facilities and 55 participating hotels on the revised list.      

Local Resources:

·         Kenya Ministry of Health: Twitter: @MOH_Kenya,  Facebook: MinistryofHealthKE, website: http://www.health.go.ke/

·         Report any suspected cases to the Kenya Ministry of Health hotline numbers: 0800721316, 0732353535, 0729471414

·         View U.S. Embassy Kenya’s Most Recent Alerts         

Other Links:

·         COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov

·         CDC. page on COVID-19