Rwanda has suspended all arriving and departing commercial passenger flights effective today March 20 at midnight for at least 30 days.
The last flight will be Turkish Airways at 01:55 March 21 and only cargo & emergency flights will continue to operate to allow the country get the necessary goods and supplies amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Rwanda currently has 11 confirmed coronavirus cases after confirming its first case last week. The ban affects the country’s national carrier, RwandAir. Other affected airlines include; KLM, Brussels Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Turkish Airlines, Jambojet, Qatar Airways, EgyptAir, among others.
I’m stranded. The UAE has suspended entries of all UAE residents (me) + tourists, Rwanda, where I’ve been on holiday, is about to close its borders for 30 days, so the only place I can go is the US. And with US suspending flights, who knows when I’ll make it home to the UAE.
— Marri Janeka (@majaneka) March 20, 2020
In a related development, Modern Coast bus company has also suspended all services from Kenya to Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda until further notice to avert the spread of the virus in Kenya, where there are seven confirmed cases.