The Kenyan government announced that only passengers who exhibit coronavirus symptoms will be subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine once international passenger flights resume on August 1.
“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,” Transport Cabinet Secretary, James Macharia said.
“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,” he added.
According to the CS, airports across the country will operate under strict restrictions.
President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that international flights will resume operations on August 1 with measures aimed at cushioning the aviation and tourism sector that was hit hardest since March when the first cases of COVID-19 was reported in the country.
All international flights to and from Kenya were suspended on March 25 in measures to curtail the spread of the coronavirus disease.
The national carrier 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.
