(3 minutes read)
· Starting 4 April, the British government is gearing up to ban international arrivals from Kenya due to concerns over new virus variants
· According to the Department for Transport of the UK, the number of countries on its “red list” will reach 39 when the latest restrictions take effect in England beginning April 9
· Of the average of 550 people that travel from Kenya to the UK each week, a significant number are testing positive on Day 2
· The African countries currently in the red list of the Britain include Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guyana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Suriname, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Starting 4 April, the British government is gearing up to ban international arrivals from Kenya due to concerns over new virus variants. The other countries which will come under the banned list are Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Philippines. However, Britain has exempted European nations from the banned list although they are facing resurgence of the virus.
According to the Department for Transport of the UK, the number of countries on its “red list” will reach 39 when the latest restrictions take effect in England beginning April 9.
Of the average of 550 people that travel from Kenya to the UK each week, a significant number are testing positive on Day 2. A third of those testing positive have been carrying the B.1.351 variant, which is of South Africa origin. Only British nationals, Irish nationals, and third-country nationals with residence rights in the UK will be permitted to travel to the UK. All passengers arriving in the UK should mandatorily take a test on days 2 and 8 of their 10-day quarantine period.
The communiqué from the UK Department of Transport said that international visitors who have departed from or traveled through red-list countries in the preceding 10 days will be refused entry into England. Countries on the list include Brazil and South Africa, where two of the most concerning virus variants have been identified.
The African countries currently in the red list of the Britain include Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guyana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Suriname, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
