Considering the global challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic
and the risk of importing new variants from high-risk countries, the
Government of Uganda is to undertake mandatory testing of all incoming
passengers at Entebbe International Airport and all ports of entry in order to
reduce on the risk of further spread of the virus.
All arriving passengers (including children above 6 years) irrespective
of vaccination status or country of origin will be required to undertake a
mandatory COVID-19 PCR test on arrival at the Airport. This is in addition to the
negative PCR test certificate required to have been obtained within 72 hours
prior to departure from country of origin.
REQUIREMENTS FOR PASSENGERS ARRIVING IN UGANDA
Arriving passengers should hold a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate issued within 72 hours from the time of sample collection to boarding aircraft leaving
country of origin.
Before departure from the country of origin to Entebbe International Airport, passengers are advised to pay an online fee of 30 US Dollars for a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test to be conducted on arrival at the airport https://covidpay.postbank.co.ug).
On arrival at the airport, all passengers will be required to go through the recommended Port Health procedure of identifying body temperature, symptoms and thereafter
directed to a team of laboratory specialists to take a COVID-19 swab for testing. The
arrival test only applies to those entering the country (transit passengers are exempted).
After taking their swab, passengers will be directed back to the terminal to go through
the immigration process. From the arrival immigration counters, passengers will
proceed to the conveyor belts to pick their respective baggage and then go through
customs clearance processes, in case of any taxable items.
From the customs area, passengers will exit the terminal to an arranged passenger
holding area to wait for their PCR test results, which shall be availed to them after about two hours and thirty minutes or less.
EXPECTATIONS AT THE HOLDING AREA
Passengers that may not have paid for their testing fees online will have the opportunity to pay for their testing fees at the various Post Bank kiosks located in the holding area.
Passengers will be able to exchange currency and also have an option of paying for their testing fees using mobile money services, visa, and credit cards or make cash payments at the various Post Bank Uganda kiosks.
COVID 19 PCR TEST REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILDREN
Children below six (6) years will be exempted from the requirement for a negative PCR
test certificate if they are accompanied by parents holding a negative COVID -19 PCR test certificate. They will also be exempted from the arrival test.
HANDLING OF POSITIVE PATIENTS
Passengers who test positive on arrival will be provided psycho social support and
transferred to the gazetted public and private treatment facilities where they will be
managed for 7 days and discharged following a negative PCR test. The treatment will be free in public hospitals. However, passengers who opt for private hospitals will meet their own costs.
In the case of arriving tourists, if they are asymptomatic or with mild disease, they will be managed in the designated tourist hotels. The tourists who may progress to severe disease will be transferred to hospitals of their choice.
HOW LONG SHOULD THE PASSENGERS WAIT FOR THE PCR TEST RESULTS?
From the time when a sample is collected on arrival, the passenger is expected to wait for a maximum of two hours and thirty minutes before release of the test results.
Results will be sent to passengers by SMS or WhatsApp. Display monitors strategically
placed in the holding area will also be used as well as the public address system to announce readiness of results.
On receipt of the results, only passengers with negative COVID-19 PCR test Certificates will be permitted to leave the holding area to proceed to their final destinations. Passengers with positive COVID-19 PCR test results will be isolated by the Port Health staff and treated according to the Ministry of Health protocol
for COVID-19.
There is a dedicated tourism desk to facilitate tourists
REQUIREMENTS FOR DEPARTING PASSENGERS
Entebbe International Airport (EIA) must have an authentic negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate issued within 72 hours from the time of sample collection to boarding aircraft.
In case the destination country’s PCR test time requirements defer, they take priority
All COVID-19 PCR test certificates for departing passengers MUST indicate TRAVEL
as the intended purpose of test.
Passengers departing EIA are required to know, understand, and interpret COVID-19
requirements of the country
COST OF A PCR TEST UNDERTAKEN ON ARRIVAL
The cost is $ 30 or the equivalent
REQUIREMENTS FOR AIR TRANSPORTATION OF HUMAN REMAINS INTO THE COUNTRY.
- The following conditions should be fulfilled:
Medical certificate of cause of death Post-mortem report or Comprehensive - Medical Report from the attending doctor/
health facility - Embalming certificate (including embalming
certificate for death due to COVID- - Copy of passport/identification document of
the deceased (The original passport/travel
document/identification document to be
presented to immigration authorities) - Import license/import authorization from the
Director General of Health Services - Appropriate packaging – wrapped in a water
proof body bag then placed in a zinc lined
coffin and outer metal or wooden box - The documents will be verified by Port Health
and the casket shall be decontaminated by
Port Health on arrival
The burial of bodies of COVID-19 victims
will be conducted following the existing
procedure for scientific burials.