ENTEBBE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REOPENS

Entebbe International Airport reopened and resumed operations for tourists coming in and going out on the 1st October 2020 after closure since 22nd March as a measure to control the spread of Covid 19 in the country. The president of Uganda in his message said “Uganda is now open to the world, provided the standard operating procedures are strictly followed and adhered to”.

The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority on the first day of reopening cleared a number of flights to and from Entebbe International Airport among which were the National courier – Uganda Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Emirates, Turkish Airways, KLM, Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Kenya Airways, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Fly Dubai, and Tarco Aviation. Another 10 flights were again cleared on the second day.

On 22nd March 2020, the Entebbe International Airport was closed off for commercial passenger flights and has only been operating repatriation and cargo flights. This phase one passenger flight reopening starting 1st October 2020 is tentative and will run for 3 months.

GROUND RULES AT THE AIRPORT

Below are some of the guidelines to be observed by arriving passengers as a measure to control the spread of Covid 19 in the country.

Arriving passengers;

• All arriving passengers must have had a negative PCR COVID-19 test done within 72 hours before arrival in Uganda, should possess an authentic and valid Covid 19 certificate and should not show any signs and symptoms of any infectious disease.
• The PCR test must have been done from a laboratory recognized by the country where the journey starts from.
• Any passengers that show signs and symptoms of any communicable disease on arrival will be put in a waiting infectious disease ambulance and taken for a COVID-19 test.
• If the test is positive for COVID-19, they will be taken to the COVID-19 treatment center, or repatriated for treatment in a different facility outside the country at their own cost following COVID-19 medical evacuation protocol.
• The Ministry of Health in Uganda has established a reachable COVID-19 PCR laboratory outside the terminal building to be able to take samples and give results within a short time period.

Uganda National Parks:

The reopening of the Entebbe International Airport comes at a time when the management of Uganda Wildlife Authority announced the reopening of all the national parks too for tourism though with very stringent standard operating procedures put in place such as;

• Compulsory putting on of face masks while within the protected areas
• Compulsory sanitizing and hand washing at all entrances of protected areas.
• Temperature screening of all visitors before proceeding to any of the protected area.
• Practicing social distance.

It should be noted that all visitors intending to go for primate tracking must have at least two N95 face masks or surgical masks or double layered cloth masks with a filter.

VISITING EAST AFRICA:

On the 1st of August 2020, Kenya and Rwanda resumed their international flight operations that had been suspended since March 2020 as a measure to control the spread of Covid 19. They joined Tanzania and Ethiopia who reopened earlier on.