U.S. Embassy to Kenya on COVID-19

The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to reconsider travel abroad due to the global impact of COVID-19. For more information, see the Department’s Global Health Advisory.

April 30 Update

Health Alert:  U.S. Embassy Nairobi April 30, 2020 Location:  Kenya

Event: Satguru Travel will operate a charter flight through Ethiopian Airlines from Nairobi to Addis Ababa.  The flight is scheduled for Friday, May 8, 2020 at 1710, arriving in Addis Ababa at 1930.  Seats cost USD949.  For bookings, please contact Satguru Travel by email at either sales.nbo2@satgurutravel.com or sales.nbo5@satgurutravel.com with attention to Mr. Kishore and Ms. Nancy. 

Passengers are responsible for booking their own onward travel to the United States. Please note that travelers transiting through Addis Ababa with a long layover must go to one of the government-owned quarantine hotels at their own expense. Travelers should arrange an itinerary through the Addis airport with minimal layover. 

Ethiopian Airlines in the last few days filed planned operation for the period of 01MAY20-15MAY20 on long haul routes. Planned operation as of 0400GMT 29APR20 as follows.  Additional changes remain possible.

Addis Ababa – Frankfurt 3 weekly A350-900XWB Addis Ababa – Lome – Newark 1 weekly 787-8 Addis Ababa – London Heathrow 5 weekly A350-900XWB Addis Ababa – Paris CDG 1 daily 777-200LR/A350-900XWB Addis Ababa – Sao Paulo Guarulhos 2 weekly 787-8 Addis Ababa – Seoul Incheon – Tokyo Narita 2 weekly 787-8 Addis Ababa – Shanghai Pu Dong 1 weekly A3350-900XWB Addis Ababa – Stockholm Arlanda 2 weekly 787-8/-9 Addis Ababa – Toronto – Dublin – Addis Ababa 2 weekly 787-8 Addis Ababa – Washington Dulles – Dublin – Addis Ababa 1 daily 777-200LR

Reminder:  U. S. Embassy Nairobi strongly recommends that U.S. Citizens and nationals enroll in STEP, the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, at step.state.gov. STEP enrollees receive important information from the Embassy about health conditions, safety alerts, and travel updates. Enrollment enables the Embassy to contact you in the event of an emergency. If you have previously enrolled in STEP, we recommend that you log into your STEP account to ensure your details are current, your country of travel information is correct, and that you set your departure date as ‘indefinite.’ These steps will enable you to receive all our embassy messaging. For any immediate need, U.S. citizens in an emergency can call 1-888-407-4747 from the United States and Canada or (plus) 1-202-501-4444 from overseas.

Actions to Take:

Country-Specific Information:

  • As of April 29, 2020 there are 396 confirmed cases of COVID-19 throughout Kenya, with 144 recovered patients and 17 related deaths.
  • There is currently a mandatory, country-wide curfew imposed between 7pm and 5am.  On April 25, 2020 this curfew was extended an additional 21 days.
  • Persons visiting a supermarket or any open-air market are required to wear a protective mask that covers the mouth and nose. Users of public or private transport are also required to wear a protective mask.
  • Movement restrictions were imposed in and out of the Nairobi Metropolitan Area on April 6 for 21 days. Similar restrictions were imposed to Kilifi, Kwale, and Mombasa counties on April 8 and to Mandera County on April 22.  On April 25, movement restrictions into and out of these areas were extended an additional 21 days.

Entry and Exit Requirements:

  • On March 25th, the Government of Kenya suspended all international flights in and out of Kenya. On April 6, the flight ban was extended for an additional 30 days.
  • On April 13, 2020 the Government of Kenya established an online portal to extend visitor and resident visas.  Please see: https://fns.immigration.go.ke/

Quarantine Information:

  • Those coming into the country between March 23 and March 25 must undergo mandatory quarantine at a government designated facility at the passenger’s own expense.
  • All persons who have come into Kenya in the last 14 days must self-quarantine. If any person exhibits symptoms such as cough, or fever, they should present themselves to the nearest health facility for testing.
  • Medical quarantine will be extended an extra 14 days for those who test positive for COVID-19 in government quarantine facilities. 

Local Resources:

  • Kenya Ministry of Health: Twitter: @MOH_Kenya,  Facebook: MinistryofHealthKE, website: http://www.health.go.ke/
  • Report any suspected cases to the Kenya Ministry of Health hotline numbers: 0800721316, 0732353535, 0729471414
  • View U.S. Embassy Kenya’s Most Recent Alerts 

Other Links:

  Link to original article: https://ke.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/
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