By Siago Cece
Under the Level 4 classification, Washington had urged its
citizens not to travel to Kenya after the American Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) raised alarm over a spike in Covid-19 cases.
Now, the fresh advisory published on June 8 by the US State
Department cautions travelers coming to Kenya to still "beware of crime,
terrorism, health issues and kidnapping." The country has further warned
its citizens to desist from travelling to the Kenya-Somalia border and some
coastal areas due to terrorism.
The update comes as a huge relief to tourism stakeholders as
it raises their hope for more international visitors this year, many of who had
avoided travelling to Kenya since the onset of Covid-19 in the country last
year.
The move was welcomed by Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF)
chairperson Mohammed Hersi who said this is a win for the sector.
"Our hard work is certainly paying off. Happy to note
that USA has removed Kenya from Level 4 to Level 2 which is a good move for
travel and tourism trade. This is positive for tourism business," said Mr
Hersi in a tweet.
Earlier, the CDC had cautioned even vaccinated travelers
over risk of spreading Covid-19 variants in Kenya.
Kenya's cases spiked in March, forcing president Uhuru
Kenyatta to declare a lockdown on Nairobi and four other neighbouring counties.
This restricted movement of people, including tourists,
meant that those who wanted to travel to other parts of the country including
the Coast region could not do so.
However, the lockdown has since been lifted after a reduction in the number of Covid-19 cases. - original article on Nation.
0 comments:
Post a Comment