Kenya put on UAE red alert list following detection of Omicron

Kenya has been placed on a red alert list by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following the detection of three cases of the omicron Covid-19 variant in the country on Wednesday.

This means that any traveller en route to the UAE from Kenya will now have to meet tougher travel requirements to enter the country. Other countries on the list include Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

According to the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Kenyan passengers seeking entry to the UAE will have to present a valid negative Covid-19 test certificate that is issued 48 hours from the time of collecting the sample.

They will similarly have to undergo a PCR test upon arrival in Dubai and self-quarantine until the negative test result is out.

“Direct passengers will have to present a Rapid PCR test report that should be based on molecular diagnostic testing intended for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid for SARS-COV-2 viral RNA; conducted at the departure airport prior to 6 hours of departure, provided with QR code system,” the UAE aviation authority said in a statement.  

Transit passengers will similarly have to present the exact aforementioned test report at the departure airport, within a similar timeframe via the same system.

Airlines that wish to operate from UAE despite originating from the red listed countries will have to submit their request via email to Dubai’s aviation regulator, 48 hours, before the planed operation. The email should be accompanied by a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of the airline for the intended operation and a full description of the machine to be used for Rapid PCR test report.

The authority has also urged all airlines to verify the authenticity of the passenger requirements prior to them boarding the aircraft, failure to which the passenger will be rejected and the carriers will be subjected to fines.