Kenya has opened up its air space with domestic flights planning to resume on the 15 th of .9’ while the international flights will open up on 1 st of August 2020.
This comes after three months of suspension of flight due to Covid 19 pandemic
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia on Friday said people with signs such as high temperatures would however be put on mandatory quarantine once the flights resumed.
Since the announcement by the President on Monday 6 th on the reopening of air trnsport, stakeholders in the industry have been gearing up and trying to ensure that they adhere to the required protocols before the D-day.
However, World Health Organizations (WHO) has warned governments especially in Africa to take effective measures to mitigate the risk of a surge in infections as they resumed commercial flights and airport operations.
Thirty-six countries in Africa closed their borders to international travel, eight suspended flights from countries with high COVID-19 transmission while others had partial or no restrictions. So far Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Tanzania and Zambia have resumed commercial flights and now Kenya is following suit.
WHO says that while open borders are vital for the free flow of goods and people, initial analysis found that lockdowns along with public health measures reduced the spread of COVID-19.
“Air travel is vital to the economic health of countries,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “But as we take to the skies again, we cannot let our guard down. Our new normal still requires stringent measures to stem the spread of COVID-19,” he added.
To resume international air travel, WHO has recommended that countries assess the epidemiological situation to determine whether maintaining restrictions outweighs the economic costs of reopening borders.
“It is also crucial to determine whether the health system can cope with a spike in imported cases and whether the surveillance and contact tracing system can reliably detect and monitor cases,” Dr. Moeti said
WHO says comprehensive entry and exit screening should be considered based on risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis, and as part of the overall national response strategy.Dr. Moeti however says that the resumption of commercial flights in Africa would in a positive way be able to facilitate the delivery of crucial supplies such as testing kits, personal protective equipment and other essential health commodities to areas which need them most.According to the International Air Transport Association, the impact of COVID-19 on airlines is likely […]
