Kenya Airways maiden flight landed in Kisumu on July 15, 2020 on resumption of flights after Covid-19 break. KQ has also resumed flights to Tanzania. PHOTO | ONDARI OGEGA | NMG Emboldened by the declining Covid-19 infections, EAC partner states are in the process or have already re-opened their borders, hotels and schools.
According to a survey by the East African Business Council (EABC), EAC partner states are expected to lose more than $54 billion of local tourists spending for 2020, on account of protracted closures of seaports and airports.
Businesses across East Africa are racing to pick up the pieces after six months of Covid-19 restrictions, setting the stage for economic recovery and a rise in employment numbers.
Emboldened by the declining Covid-19 infections, EAC partner states are in the process or have already re-opened their borders, hotels and schools.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced a national Covid-19 conference on September 28, in which he is expected to address re-opening bars and easing a 9pm to 4am curfew.
Tanzania already re-opened all its institutions, and Uganda is set to resume international flights from October 1.
Kenya partially eased its night-time curfew by three hours in June, and also lifted travel restrictions affecting Nairobi and Mombasa.
"Flattening the Covid-19 curve is a national endeavour that requires action at the individual, community, county, and national levels. Every one of us must play our part for Kenya to triumph over the disease," said Kenya’s Head of Public Service, Joseph Kinyua, in a statement to the media last week.
According to a survey conducted last week by the East African Business Council (EABC), EAC partner states are expected to lose more than $54 billion of local tourists spending for 2020, on account of protracted closures of seaports and airports.
Tanzania, which had locked out Kenyan flights following a spat over Covid-19 restrictions, recently lifted the ban.
Kenya Airways resumed flights to 30 destinations on August 1, after grounding of its fleet in March to stem the spread of the virus.Kenya has also eased the entry of nationals from Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gambia, and Sierra Leone, among other countries.EABC commended the resumption of air transport services in the region, saying that the flight ban had ground some businesses to a halt."This will spur regional tourism, intra-EAC trade and bilateral trade between Kenya and Tanzania, offering steady business and economic rebound. In 2019, the value of Kenya’s exports to Tanzania […]
