Uganda Bans Travelers from the US, 15 Other Countries

Uganda has banned travelers originating from the United States and 15 other countries due to coronavirus outbreak. 

Uganda’s Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said the restriction of travelers from these countries was as a result of high cases of coronavirus reported there.

They include the US, China, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, South Korea, and Spain. Others are the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Austria, and Malaysia.

“Government has decided to ask travelers from the affected countries not to come to Uganda because the high cases they are reporting can easily be imported into the country,” Aceng said in a statement.

Travelers from the affected nations have been urged to postpone non-essential travel to Uganda and if they insist on traveling, they must self-quarantine for 14 days at home or at a government facility at their own cost.

Uganda is yet to confirm any case of coronavirus but neighboring Kenya recorded its first case on Thursday.

Kenya’s Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe on Friday said the patient is a 27-year-old Kenyan woman who arrived in Kenya from the US via London on March 5th.

“The case was confirmed yesterday (Thursday). She was confirmed positive by the National Influenza Lab,” said Kagwe.

He added that the patient is in stable condition and her temperature has reduced to normal. She is receiving treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and everyone she came into contact with has been traced.

“She passed through Ohio, Chicago, London before arriving in Nairobi on March 5th, she is very responsible as she took herself to hospital and has given us a list of all those she interacted with,” added Kagwe.