Kenya won't allow travelers from US, India and European nations as it resumes flights

Kenya has excluded the US, India, and the major European nations from a list of countries whose nationals will be allowed in when international flights resume from August 1, according to a news report by Business Day.

A protocol guiding the resumption of international flights only has Canada, Switzerland, Japan, China, and South Korea outside of Africa in the list of 11 countries whose citizens will initially be allowed into Kenya.

This means China is the only country among the top 10 nations that accounted for most of the tourists to Kenya last time that is on the list. Also on the list are Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Uganda and, Rwanda, Morocco, and Namibia.

The list excludes countries like the US, Tanzania, Britain, which brought in 743,310 tourists to Kenya or 37.1 percent of the two million travelers.

Transport Cabinet Secretary, James Macharia has said yesterday that Kenya had developed the initial list based on the intensity of coronavirus cases in specific countries, suggesting that the list will be reviewed in the coming weeks.

Conspicuously missing in the initial list in the region is Tanzania, where authorities have not been open with information regarding COVID-19.

"For a start, these countries that I am mentioning are in the initial list, "said Macharia.

These countries have mild or limited community transmission or they have declining incidences. These are the ones we shall be allowing passengers to come from," Macharia added.

The US has registered one of the highest caseloads in the world, with over four million infections and 153,000 deaths reported by yesterday, according to John Hopkins Hospital.The United Kingdom had over 301,000 confirmed cases and about 45,000 deaths as of July 30.