Travelers from Tanzania will not be turned away, Transport CS Macharia says

Travelers from Tanzania will not be turned away, Transport CS Macharia says

Transport CS James Macharia has said travelers from Tanzania will not be turned away on arrival in Kenya even though the country is not on the ‘safe flights’ list.

Speaking hours after Tanzania announced that flights from Kenya are banned until further notice, the CS said they have resolved the impasse.

“Travelers from Tanzania can come in as early as today. We never stopped those flights. This very minor issue has been sorted out and we believe that if not today, by tomorrow we shall find Kenya Airways flying again to Tanzania,” he said.

CS Macharia explained that the ‘safe flights’ list issued on Friday does not mean that those excluded are banned from operating flights to Kenya.

“It would be inappropriate to start discussing individual countries because we have a total of 180 countries but so far only 19 have been listed as having their travelers exempted from quarantine,” the CS said.

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He said border crossings at Namanga and Malaba for example have been ongoing and will be improved but in addition, Kenya is now confident with the new protocols put in place for air travel.

He stated that protocols developed through a multi-agency effort between the Health, Transport, Interior and Foreign Affairs ministries will help address any gaps in terms of management of COVID-19 for different countries.

The Transport CS reiterated that any issue arising between countries is addressed through the said protocols to ensure that risk is mitigated.

He further noted that all points of entry have had major changes and not just the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), to ensure those coming in and leaving are as safe as possible.

 

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coronavirus Tanzania safe flights air travel

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