Just before coronavirus pandemic struck six months ago, there was so much that many travellers across the world did not expect would change.
Unfortunately, it is the new normal which each traveller should accustom to.
Countries across the world have now been forced to come up with elaborate safety measures to govern international travel.
On focus in this piece is travel from Kenya to the United Kingdom and vice versa during the pandemic.
The British government has rolled out mandatory entry requirements for those traveling to the UK from Kenya and other countries but test-on-arrival at the moment has been ruled out due to “logistical challenges” and discrepancies.
One of the mandatory requirements is filling the “passenger locator” online form including British nationals disclosing your contact details before flying to the UK and submit it 48 hours before your scheduled arrival.
If you do not complete the form before you arrive in the UK, it might take you longer to enter the UK. This is important because it lists key details which would enable the British government to contact you with ease should you or someone you travelled with develop COVID-19 symptoms.
Other details included in this online form is a person’s passport details, name of the airline in use, booking reference, name of the landing airport, date of arrival, flight number, address of the place of stay in the UK for the first 14 days and contact details of someone who should be contacted in the event you fall ill while in the UK.
It is also mandatory to self-isolate for the first 14 days upon arrival to the UK. The government tracks if or not you are following this through the details provided in the form. Failure to disclose this information will attract a fine of up to £100 or be blocked from entering the UK if you are not a British Citizen or a resident in the UK.
Additionally, if someone who is required to self-isolate does not provide an address, the government will arrange accommodation at the traveller’s expense.
Notably, all quarantine measure are subject to review at the discretion of the UK government.
On the other hand, if you are travelling to Kenya from the UK, you are required to take a PCR-based coronavirus test 96 hours before travel and a certificate issued to this effect. Only negative persons will be allowed to enter the country without being isolated or quarantined for 14 days.
Those who take a rapid COVID-19 test will be subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine. However, all travellers will be screened on arrival.
Those who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms will be quarantined at their place of stay for the first 14 days. Passengers travelling in two row surrounding the person who developed coronavirus symptoms will also be required to quarantine for 14 days.
Travellers from the UK and other parts of the world are required to fill in a COVID-19 Travellers Health Surveillance Form. Ideally, the information provided guides the Ministry of Health in handling the pandemic better and contacting you should the situation demand so.
After submitting the form, travellers will receive a QR code which must be presented to port health officials for them to be allowed to proceed to arrival immigration.
When it comes to the choice of airlines to travel in London from Nairobi and back, both Kenya Airways and British Airways operating direct flights from Nairobi to London and vice versa. A direct flight take 8 hours 30 minutes.
Indirect flights are also available with a travel time of between 11 hours up to 36 hours occasioned by waiting time between flights.
An indirect Emirates flight to and from London will make a stop in Doha while Lufthansa has stopovers in Frankfurt. Other airlines operating flights between these two cities have more options for stopovers.
