Dubai has banned all inbound and transit passenger flights from Kenya for the next 48 hours amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the country.
The new directive took effect today, December 20, 2021, at 9.30 am Kenyan time.
However, the suspension does not affect cargo freight or passenger flights from Dubai to Nairobi.
“Please be informed that the operations of all air transport services for inbound and transit passenger movements to Emirates of Dubai from any point in the Republic of Kenya are temporarily suspended for 48 hours effective December 20, 2021,” reads a notice from the Dubai authorities.
Its national carrier, Emirates Airlines, has since suspended flights. “Customers will not be accepted for travel on Emirates flights from Nairobi during this time”, the airline said on Monday.
The suspension will see Kenya join nations, including Nigeria, where Dubai has banned passenger travel.
Kenya has seen a coronavirus resurgence with a rapidly rising caseload since the confirmation of the highly infectious Omicron variant last week.
From a sample size of 5,635 people tested in the last 24 hours, about 1,372 have tested positive for COVID-19. The positivity rate is now at 24.44 percent, the highest level since March, when the third wave was at its peak.
As of Sunday, confirmed positive cases totaled 263,707, with 5,353 fatalities as of Sunday.
Some 8.86 million Kenyans have so far received vaccines. Of these, 5.29 million are partially vaccinated, with those fully immunized at 3.57 million.
Source: www.theeastafrican.co.ke
