On 5th May 2021, Uganda’s ministry of Health issued a statement on the status of Covid-19. The document mainly covered statistics and measures being undertaken to avoid a resurgence of the pandemic. Adventure Consults is happy to share a summary mainly focused on tourism and travel in general.

When the ministry released the first statement on 30th April 2021 and subsequently another one on 5th May, there were a number of issues that needed to be rather outlined in a clearer way to make it more relevant to tourism. Here below are some of the commonly asked questions and answers

Question: Are there specific countries that are considered by Ugandan government to be of high or low risk in relation to covid 19 spread?

Answer: Based on the current trend of COVID 19 outbreak, Uganda’s ministry of health has categorized countries in relation to the COVID-19 risk they pose. categorization has been done according to the presence of variants of concern, high rate of transmission of the disease, and number of deaths reported in the last 3 months.

Question: Has Uganda Government/Ministry of Health clearly listed countries according to categories? What are the current travel restrictions to Uganda in relation to covid?

Answer: As of 5th May 2021, it’s only India which is listed under category 1. The following conditions shall apply to all flights and passengers originating from India.

  1. All passenger flights between Uganda and India are suspended until further notice.
  2. No travelers from India shall be allowed into Uganda regardless of the route of travel.
  3. All travelers who may have been in India or travelled through India in the last 14 days regardless of the route taken shall not be allowed into Uganda.
  4. All travelers arriving from India before suspension date regardless of the route of travel are expected to:
    1. Be in possession of a negative PCR COVID 19 test certificate that is digitally verifiable conducted within 120 hours from the time of sample removal.
    2. Undergo a mandatory PCR test upon arrival. All those who test positive shall undergo isolation at a government approved isolation center at their own cost. Those who test negative shall undergo self-quarantine under supervision of ministry of health with mandatory re-testing between 5 to10 days.

Category 2.

Countries listed under category 2: United States of America, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Turkey, South Sudan and Tanzania.

Category 3.

All Countries not in category 1 and 2. This implies, there are practically only 2 categories.

Question: Do travelers from category 2 & 3 countries need to test for covid on arrival at Entebbe airport?

Answer; Any travelers/individuals from category 2 & 3 countries who haven’t received their full covid 19 vaccinations, shall be subjected to PCR-COVID 19 test at all points of entry including Entebbe International airport.

Individuals/Travelers in category 2 and 3 who have received their full COVID-19 vaccination and are asymptomatic will be allowed into the country without the need for testing on arrival.

Question: Do individuals who have got full vaccination for Covid-19 need to test prior to traveling to Uganda?

Answer: Yes, you are required to provide negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test results taken not more than 120 hours before arrival into Uganda. Detailed info on the same is available on Adventure Consults updates section, but feel free to get in contact for any clarifications you might need.

Question; It’s possible that a number of travelers will not have got their vaccinations, or some have got their first shots and still waiting for their last ones at the time of travel. These will definitely need to be tested on arrival at Entebbe airport, so;

  1. Where will the testing be carried out from? The Ministry of Health has identified five laboratories (as of 5th May, list not shared yet) with the ability to carry out tests in a timely manner. Testing points will be set up in Entebbe town (less than 20 minutes’ drive from Entebbe airport) and Adventure Consults will be on available to provide any necessary and possible for assistance at the time of your travel. Note that Adventure consults’ involvement will be within the set guidelines and procedures.
  2. What’s the cost for carrying out covid tests on arrival at Entebbe international Airport or any other entry point? As of 5th May 2021, the ministry advised that the cost for testing shall not be more than sixty-five US dollars (USD 65). This has been discussed and agreed with the private labs.
  3. Where will samples be taken from and how long will it take for results to be released? Will individuals be free to move to the hotels of their choice as they wait for results? Travelers will be transported to an identified withholding area (5-10 kms from the airport) where Samples will be taken for testing. Results will be released after every 4 hours. The travelers will be given an option to wait from a comfortable area as they wait for their results or check into a designated hotel at their own cost until they receive their results. At the time of putting this information together, the ministry had not yet communicated the exact withholding area/s and also not yet specified the designated hotels. Adventure consults team will share an update on the same once availed to the public.

Question. What happens next or what’s the next step after getting results and they are negative?

Answer: Any traveler who tests negative for covid 19, will permitted to leave and proceed with his/her onward journey.

Question; What happens next or what’s the next step after getting results and they are positive?

Answer: Any traveler who tests positive for covid 19, will be evacuated by the Ministry of Health to a designated covid 19 isolation facility.

Any child/children who tests positive for covid 19, will also be evacuated by the Ministry of Health to a designated covid 19 isolation facility with their parents/guardian.

The ministry statement further clarifies that the above measures are meant to ensure that there’s no importation of any more variants into the country and limit the spread of the variants.

Most of the information Adventure Consults team shared earlier on is still valid, so please feel free to check out our updates page on this link or get in touch for immediate/regular updates – sales@adventureconsults.com

The Ministry of health has further advised that this information shall where necessary be analyzed and updated on a weekly (earlier or later) basis depending on the situation.

In light of current situation, Adventure Consults urges all travelers, partners, staff and everyone world over to religiously follow the scientifically proven prevention measures and these include among others;

  • Consistently and correctly wearing masks while in public.
  • Social distancing of at least 2 meters while in public places.
  • Avoid crowded places.
  • Always wash hands with soap or use an alcohol-based sanitizer.

We look forward to taking care of your holiday to Uganda and Rwanda.

www.adventureconsults.com