Kenya Says No Plan to Ban Travel over New COVID-19 Variant

Kenya says there are no plans to ban travelers from countries hit by the new Omicron coronavirus variant.

Speaking on Sunday, Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache said the government has stepped up surveillance at the ports of entry to ensure all persons are screened and show proof that they are vaccinated. 

“Like all countries in the world, we have heightened our surveillance, people coming in from the affected countries will need to have adhered to the country’s COVID 19 regulations,” Mochache told reporters.

The principal secretary says the government is determined to ensure the country does not suffer from economic depression as a result of the pandemic.

The Omicron COVID-19 variant originated from South Africa last week and it has been detected in some European countries including the UK (two cases), Germany (2), Belgium (1), and Italy (1).

Britain and Israel have since banned flights from South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini, and Zimbabwe over the new COVID-19 variant that carries 32 mutations which makes it highly contagious.