Uganda Opens Borders, Airport and Tourism

Ready for some good news! Well, Uganda has opened her borders to tourism beginning from October 1^st 2020. This is after the country closed borders and the only international airport on 30^th March this year. The global spread of the Coronavirus forced many countries to take drastic measures. Uganda acted swiftly and closed its doors to international travelers in a bid to stop the spread of the Virus and give her time to prepare an effective response. Only cargo, special repatriation and evacuation flights where allowed into the country through Entebbe International Airport.

Although National Parks in Uganda were opened in June to domestic tourists, stakeholders in the tourism industry have been waiting eagerly for borders and the airport to open so that international tourists can come in. The long awaited announcement was made on Sunday the 20^th of September 2020 by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in his address to the nation about the measures to contain the Coronavirus.

The president had earlier directed the COVID-19 task-force to discuss and consider reopening certain sectors of the economy that had been closed since the country went under lock-down in March. The sectors under consideration by the task-force included schools, tourism, weekly markers, bars and places of worship.

The task-force came up with various recommendations based on the current status of the coronavirus which the president used as a basis for his pronouncement. The pronouncement follows earlier ones in which domestic tourism, public transport, markets, offices and other businesses were opened but with regulations. This new pronouncement by the president is good news for the tourism sector in Uganda which had been heavily hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism provided a lot of jobs for Ugandans and had been the country’s leading foreign exchange earner. Lack of international visitors and the lock-down had facilitated increased poaching and revenue loss.  In Bwindi, a silverback gorilla known as Rafiki was killed by poachers leading to the disintegration of the Nkuringo gorilla group which was very popular with tourists doing gorilla trekking in Bwindi. Poaching has become more rampant because communities living close to the park are struggling to make a living without the extra income from tourism. Statistics from the Uganda Wildlife Authority show that poaching incidences have doubled in the national parks since the lock-down compared to the same period last year. With tourism and gorilla trekking open once again, it will be easier to raise funds for wildlife conservation and park patrols.

Countries like Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda had already opened international airports/borders yet they had more COVID-19 caseloads. Uganda tread carefully but it was only a matter of time before it would the direction her neighbors took.

According to the president, all travelers arriving in Uganda must possess a negative COVID-19 test. The results must have been got from an accredited laboratory within the last 72 hours before traveling from the country of origin. Once tourists arrive into the country, they will not mix with the community but travel directly to their designated hotels or destinations. All Ugandan’s who had been stuck in different countries around the world can now return. However, only those with negative results will be allowed to go back to their homes.

All major airlines like Kenya Airways, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Air Tanzania, RwandaAir, KLM, Brussels Airlines, Tarco Aviation, FlyDubai and Uganda Airlines are expected to be back in business immediately. In fact, the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority has already cleared 13 airlines to take begin operations in October 1^st.

In his 20^th address to the nation about measures to curb the infectious virus, the president also declared that churches will be allowed to open but with a limited number of people. Candidate closes will also be allowed to attend school. Uganda has so far registered 6,468 cases of COVID-19. There have now been 63 deaths and 2,731 recoveries. Because the Virus is still spreading in the country, Ugandan’s and international visitors should still expect to follow strict COVID-19 regulations and measures which have been put in place to limit infections including: –

1. Wearing Masks whenever one is in a public place.
2. Mandatory handwashing and sanitizing in all public buildings.
3. Observing social distancing rules whenever in public places.
4. Mandatory temperature screening using non-contact thermometers before entering national parks.
5. Ensuring that you are indoors during curfew time which starts from 9pm and ends at 6am.
6. Fines and penalties will be enforced on those who do not follow the above regulations. The fines could be monetary while penalties could include community work.

Tour Operators will be responsible for ensuring that there is limited interaction between international tourists and the local population. All visitors and tour vans should have their own hand sanitizers. Tour Vehicles will operate at half capacity and everyone in the car must put on a mask or other protective gear to avoid possible infections. No saloon cars will be allowed in the national parks.

Note: In order to prepare for incoming international tourists, the Uganda Wildlife Authority has been organizing COVID-19 related trainings and given personnel working in national parks the appropriate clothing to prevent any spread of the virus. Staff in National Parks will be responsible for informing visitors about government guidelines for preventing the spread of the coronavirus.