Suspension of mandatory Covid 19 testing at Entebbe airport  : As of 16/February/2022, the ministry of health in Uganda suspended the mandatory COVID 19 test for all incoming travellers to Uganda at Entebbe International airport.

However, for arrival at Entebbe international airport, travellers are still required to come with a 72 hour valid PCR negative test from their country of origin and for departures, a negative PCR test is also required valid for within 48 hours. The health officers will continue to screen all travellers on arrival and departure and also verify their COVID 19 test certificate.

The suspension period of the mandatory test on arrival is not provided/known as it will depend on the registered cases go. The suspension of the mandatory test is based on grounds that;

  • There is a great decline in COVID 19 positive cases at the Entebbe airport
  • Reduction of global threat of new variants of concern and therefore reduced risk of importation of the variants of concern that will increase community transmission
Suspension of mandatory Covid 19 testing at Entebbe airport
Suspension of mandatory Covid 19 testing at Entebbe airport

Entebbe international airport is the biggest airport in Uganda. It has been about 2 years when Uganda first got a positive case for COVID 19 in March 2020 and the country has had 2 lockdowns affecting the transport and tourism industries of the country. As the country looked at re-openings, several travel restrictions were imposed on travellers to control the spread of COVID 19 among our tourists intending to visit Uganda.

The Uganda government had imposed mandatory testing at the airport in September 2021 following the detection of more variants of Omicron imported from neighbouring countries in travellers who arrived via the airport. The most recent guideline was the one issued by the ministry of health stating that “All travellers irrespective of vaccination status or country of origin will be required to arrive with a negative PCR test done 72 hours prior to travel and will be required to undergo mandatory screening at their own cost effective 3rd/Sept/2021.”

Before the restrictions, incoming travellers were only required to show a valid negative PCR certificate obtained from an accredited laboratory in their countries of origin. Despite the latest development, the government said travellers are still required to be tested 72 hours before arrival or departure from the airport while on Uganda  Safaris Tours.

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