MONTHS OF COMPLACENCY BY HEALTH AUTHORITIES COMES WITH A HEAVY PRICE AS CONNECTIVITY TO AND FROM UGANDA REDUCED
(Posted 06th July 2021)
After the reduction of flights by Kenya Airways between Nairobi and Entebbe, prompted by a sharp drop in demand attributed to both the actual #COVID19 situation in Uganda as well as the prohibitive regulation regime inflicted on travelers, has Uganda Airlines also announced a reduction of their flights to and from Nairobi to just one a day.
Flights to and from Juba are also reduced from two to one a day, while RwandAir has also suspended flights from Kigali to Entebbe.
The announcement by Gulf carriers to also suspend flights to and from Entebbe has further impacted on the country’s connectivity with the outside world.
Regular commentators have blamed the lack of enforcement of health and safety directives over the past several months, namely mask wearing and physical distancing. Only when the situation spun out of control in regard to rising case numbers and the EU placed Uganda on the list of red zone countries, did Uganda react with a 42 day lockdown, which, while on the surface permitting international tourists to come visit, has seen domestic tourism shut down.
Kampala’s large branded hotels are again counting their losses with occupancies of less than 10 percent. While some are working hard to rev up food delivery services are their inhouse restaurants largely idle, due to lack of staying clients but also the inability of Kampaleans to go out for meals, as the use of private vehicles is prohibited – an order which applies also for using cars to go and shop for home supplies.
Uganda’s national airline had also planned to commence flights to Dubai in late July but given the present circumstances are now doubts emerging that this timeline can be kept intact.
ATCNews will continue to monitor the situation and report further updates as and when available.
(Too little too late …
https://atcnews.org/2021/07/05/uganda-government-lifts-pcr-test-on-arrival-for-fully-vaccinated-travelers-from-cat-2-countries/ )
