Kenya
Travel restrictions
Domestic air travel resumed on July 15th 2020 under Ministry of Health and Transport guidelines. International flights resumed on August 1st.
As of August 1st 2020, the Kenyan Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Development and Public Works announced that 18 countries (Canada, South Korea, Namibia, Uganda, China, Rwanda, Morocco, Japan, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Switzerland, The United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Qatar, United Arab Emirates & Italy) will be exempt from quarantine upon arrival if the following conditions are met:
- The passenger does not have a body temperature above 37.5°C (99.5°F);
- The passenger does not have a persistent cough, difficulty breathing or other flu-like symptoms;
- The passenger has a negative PCR-based COVID-19 test conducted within 96 hours before travel.
Please, note that travellers coming from countries not listed above will not be exempt and will be required to quarantine upon arrival for 14 days, at a Government-designated facility.
As of January 11th, 2021, outgoing travelers must obtain a negative COVID-19 certificate in accordance with the trusted Traveler (TT) Initiative (www.africacdc.org/trusted-travel) and the PanaBios system (www.panabios.org).
Please note that all who enter the airport terminal may be subject to temperature checks. If a passenger is confirmed to have a fever, he/she will not be allowed to board their flight. Those with an elevated body temperature shall be referred for secondary assessment by Port Health staff who will handle the passenger in accordance with public health guidelines.
Please be advised that effective January 1st, 2021, all passengers are required to apply and obtain an e-visa before boarding an aircraft.
Measures taken by the government
On September 28th 2020 the Government of Kenya directed that large gatherings, meetings, conferences and political events over 15 people remain suspended.
There is a nightly curfew from 10pm to 4am in effect countrywide. Those violating the curfew may be arrested and put in mandatory quarantine for 14 days at their own expense.
On March 26th 2021, the government announced further restrictions primarily focused on five counties: Nairobi, Kajiado, Machakos, Kiambu, and Nakuru.
The following restrictions remain in effect until further notice:
- Movement by road, air, and rail into and out of the five counties is suspended;
- Public gatherings and in-person meetings are suspended in the five counties;
- Curfew in the five counties is revised to commence from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. Other counties will maintain the existing curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.
- All physical and worship gatherings are suspended in the five counties. In other counties, the existing rule that places of worship may only use one-third of their capacity remains in effect;
- In-person learning at all education institutions through the entire country are suspended, except for those sitting for examinations and those in medical training institutions;
- Sporting and recreational activities are suspended;
- Bars are closed in the five counties;
- Hospitals must restrict visitors to two individuals per patient;
- All funerals must be held within 72 hours after the confirmation of death, and no more than 50 people may attend a funeral;
- Weddings, ceremonies of rites of passage, and all other similar events or ceremonies may have no more than 30 people attending;
- Restaurants are closed for dining and may provide only take away meals in the five counties, and they may not serve alcohol. In other counties, existing restrictions remain in place, with strict enforcement of guidelines;
- All physical meetings or events including social gatherings are limited to no more than 15 people until further notice;
Domestic air travel resumed on July 15th, 2020 under Ministry of Health and Transport guidelines but was again suspended as of March 27th 2021 with limited exceptions.
Testing
PCR testing is widely available. We expect antigen tests to be increasingly available during 2021.
Turnaround times vary outside of major metropolitan cities, and it will be important to confirm the turnaround time with each lab.
Testing is available at the country’s major hospitals (Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi Hospital, Kenyatta National Hospital) and private laboratories (Lancet laboratories, Meditest diagnostics). The charge for the test is approximately USD 100 (KES 10,000) at private health facilities and USD 50 (KES 5,000) at government hospitals.
Test results are typically available within 24 – 96 hours depending on laboratory and location.
Emergency number (related to COVID-19) while visiting the country
Report any suspected cases to the Kenya Ministry of Health hotline numbers: 0800721316, 0732353535, 0729471414
Source:
US Embassy in Kenya https://ke.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/
Published on May 4th 2021 (checked on May 5th 2021)
Kenyan Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Development and Public Works https://kcaa.or.ke/sites/default/files/docs/covid_19/Min-of-Transport-33x3-1-8-20.pdf
Published on August 1st 2020
For more information please visit our COVID-19 Updates page at https://www.hiddentrails.com/article/covid19update.aspx