US lowers travel advisory to Kenya as it records moderate level of Covid-19 – The Informer

The United States has lowered Kenya’s travel advisory level to two, down from four, adjusting travel guidance for vaccinated Americans in the process.

In a notice, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 2 Travel Health Notice for Kenya indicating a moderate level of Covid-19 in the Country.

In April, the US government had retained its highest travel advisory on Nairobi initially indicated by the CDC.

“Travellers should avoid all travel to Kenya,” the CDC had said in March, when the infection rate was high. Because of the current situation in Kenya even fully vaccinated travellers may be at risk for getting and spreading Covid-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Kenya,” the CDC had said.

However, US citizens have been asked to be careful when visiting the Nairobi neighbourhoods of Eastleigh and Kibera at all times due to crime and kidnapping and  also cautioned from traveling along the Kenya-Somalia border and some coastal areas due to terrorism, and areas of Turkana County due to crime.

The move brings a sigh of relief to tourism sector that was highly affected by the advisory.

This comes barely a week after the Foreign Affairs Ministry lifted travel restrictions imposed on travellers from United Kingdom.

A statement from the ministry also stated that Covid-19 restrictions for passengers and crew have equally been revised.

All passengers and crew irrespective of their nationality and residency coming to Kenya from the United Kingdom, irrespective of their route of travel to Kenya will be required to be in possession of a valid Covid-19 negative PCR test certificate conducted within 96 hours before travel.

Likewise those entering Kenya from the UK will be required to self isolate for 7 days upon arrival and take a PCR test four days after arrival.

Kenya banned flights from the UK, effective April 9 in retaliation to a move by the UK to add the country on its travel ‘red list’.

The Country’s Covid-19 positivity rate is now at 5.7 per cent although there have been a surge in Kisumu County.