According to reports from AfricaNews.com, Kenya hit back at the UK soon after they came to know about London adding east African countries to its ‘red list’ of travel. The foreign affairs ministry of Kenya said in a headstrong statement that the decision lacked logic and was extremely discriminatory. The decision had no relation with the science-backed reason behind the spread of the disease and the pandemic.

It was a few days back that the UK declared their new travel restrictions where travelers from Kenya were prohibited from entering their country as the new South African coronavirus variant seemed to spread rapidly in the country. This decision clearly meant that Kenyans and anyone transiting through the airports of Kenya are banned from entering the UK since the 9^th of April.

Two days later, Nairobi hit back by announcing its own measures where all passenger flights transiting through or originating from UK airports were banned for a month. Moreover, UK passengers will also need to show negative COVID-19 results and valid certificates of receiving COVID-19 vaccines.

The COVID-19 crisis and Kenya visa

There’s no doubt about the fact that the upshots of the coronavirus have been severe in countries like Kenya. This deadly outbreak has certainly led to a travel ban. This includes tourists who already obtained their visa. To know more on the situation in Kenya, keep reading.

What’s the pandemic situation in Kenya?

On the 15^th of April, 2021, Kenya reported nearabout 149,138 official coronavirus infection cases. Among those, 2,530 people died due to this disease. Since March 2021, the total number of infections drastically kept surging in Kenya, especially in districts like Machakos, Nairobi, Nakuru, Kiambu, Mombasa, Kajiado and Kisumu. To contain the rapid spread, the Kenyan government took stringent measures which include the following:

• The districts Machakos, Nairobi, Nakuru, Kiambu and Kajiado have been categorized as ‘disease-infected’ areas.
• A curfew till 11^th May, that starts from 22:00 and ends at 04:00. In the above mentioned ‘disease affected’ areas, the time would be 20:00 to 04:00.
• Traveling in or out of the disease-affected areas is prohibited and no halt of train or road transports will be allowed.
• Bars and restaurants will be closed in the disease infected areas.
• Wearing mask is mandatory in public cars, areas and public transportation.
• Not more than 60% of the seats in public transport can be occupied.

Is it possible to apply for a visa for a Kenya trip?

The travel ban for foreign nationals to Kenya has been lifted and this clearly means that you can apply for a visa to Kenya from UK for a business or a leisure trip. Currently, applications are seen to be approved within 8 days, just as the rules were before the start of the coronavirus.

Rules and regulations to follow for travelling to Kenya

• Irrespective of their age, all travelers transiting Kenya should carry a proof of their negative COVID-19 PCR test that is taken within the last 96 hours of boarding the flight. Even a vaccinated travel needs to show this result.
• Travelers originating from few nations need to quarantine for 14 days. The countries that are mentioned in this list are excluded from quarantine if they present a negative PCR test report.
• Till 9^th April, 2021, all flights, whether charter or commercial, flying between the UK and Kenya were suspended. This suspension will be timely reviewed by the Government of Kenya in the next 4 weeks.
• There will be mandatory health screenings on arrival for all passengers.

So, before you travel to Kenya from the UK, keep in mind all the above-mentioned alerts and warnings. Also buy adequate travel insurance policy to avoid wasting your hard-earned pounds.