COVID-19 SOPs to Follow as Uganda Reopens Her Airport
COVID-19 SOPs to Follow as Uganda Reopens Her Airport: Blissful cheering among travellers and tour operators as the president announces, in his latest national address, the reopening of Entebbe International Airport. This good news comes six months after the closure of the airport in April after COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the country.
During his national address on 20th September 2020, His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni announced that Entebbe International Airport would be re-opened on 1st October 2020 under strict COVID-19 Standards of Operation (SoPs).
The COVID-19 SOP guidelines are supposed to be followed by all travellers accessing the airport, including other border points of entry into the country – on land or lake. These measures have been put in place after numerous consultations with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and regional airport practices of COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures.
Here are some of the COVID-19 SOP guidelines to follow for all travellers planning to travel to and from Uganda;
Travellers coming into Uganda.
- Travellers must have had a negative PCR COVID-19 test done within 72 hours prior to your arrival into the country, and has not shown any signs and symptoms of any infectious disease before boarding.
- Your PCR test must have been done from a laboratory approved by the country where the journey is initiated.
- Travellers who show signs and symptoms of an infectious disease on arrival will be put in a waiting infectious disease ambulance and transferred to an isolation center (Entebbe Hospital) where you will be checked and tested for COVID-19. Results of COVID-19 tests will be returned within 24-48 hours.
- Travellers who test positive for COVID-19 will be taken to the COVID-19 treatment center, or repatriated for treatment in another facility outside Uganda at your own cost following COVID-19 medical evaluation protocol.
- Airlines and airport authorities will ensure that before boarding to Entebbe International Airport, each traveller MUST have met the above requirements.
- The Ministry of Health in Uganda will ensure that there is an accessible COVID-19 PCR laboratory outside the terminal building which will be able to take samples and avail results within a short period of time, for exceptional circumstances.
- An infectious disease laboratory is not allowed within the vicinity of an international airport; therefore, travellers who require a PCR COVID-19 test will have to be transported to the facility by the Ministry of Health in Uganda, or at their own cost escorted by security.
Travellers existing Uganda.
- Travellers leaving Uganda MUST ensure that he or she has carried out a COVID-19 PCR test which is valid for 72 hours prior to boarding your departure flight.
- Travellers with special situations that may not allow them to present a PCR test certificate will have to ensure they have a clearance from the country they are travelling to showing they may not take a PCR COVID-19 test and will be allowed to enter the country on arrival.
- Travellers who present signs and symptoms of infectious disease as detected by Port Health staff will not be allowed to board but will be taken to an isolation facility for monitoring and treatment.
With the above COVID-19 SOP guidelines, you can now plan your trip to Uganda with ease and get a chance to enjoy exploring the Pearl of Africa. As enjoy your safari in Uganda, please do remember to wear your mask, wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol hand sanitizer, and maintain the standard social distance measures in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
