Rwanda Development Board excitedly informs the public that Rwandese can now visit the United Kingdom without 14 days of quarantine. Effective 21st November 2021, Rwanda travelers to Northern Ireland, England and Wales will be exempted from 2 weeks of mandatory quarantine. Jo Lomas, the British high commissioner to Rwanda confirmed the good news that indeed Rwandese to the UK will have no restrictions. In the same way, UK travelers from the regions of Northern Ireland, England and Wales will not be quarantined. Travelers to either country will only keep the standard Operating procedures of covid 19 to ensure safety.
Why was Rwanda given a green light to the UK
With scientific evidence, the slow rate of new covid19 positive cases and death, Rwanda has undeniably handled the pandemic in a porter way. Since March 2020 when the first covid19 positive case was registered in Rwanda, the country has done all it can to minimize the spread of this deadly virus. Various technics including the introductions of robots to help sensitize locals on how to prevent covid19 were introduced in Rwanda. This has minimized the spread of the virus in the country as compared to other neighboring countries. As of 24th 2020, Rwanda has recorded 5,665 positive cases, 5,164 recoveries and 47 deaths. This is surely a good move by Rwanda government and its citizens confirming that most people in Rwanda and free from the virus. The low rate of new covdi19 infections in Rwanda prove that Rwanda is indeed the only African country considered safe for travels amid the covid19 pandemic. From now onwards, there will be no need for travelers from Rwanda to be quarantined for 14 days if they test negative for 72 hours before the travel. More so, the high commissioner promised that Rwanda will soon be added to the United Kingdom air corridor to favor Rwandese and British traveling for work or business related issues. The land of a thousand hills is now open for gorilla trekking, game viewing, cultural tours, chimpanzee tracking and hiking experiences at discounted rates.
Countries, territories and regions on the UK travel Corridor List
The other countries and regions that are exempted to 14 days of quarantine in the United Kingdom include:
1. Anguilla
2. Antigua and Barbuda
3. Australia
4. The Azores
5. Bahrain
6. Barbados
7. Bermuda
8. Bonaire/St Eustatius/Saba
9. British Antarctic Territory
10. Brirtish Indain Ocean Territory
11. British Virgin Ilsnads
12. Brunei
13. Cambodia
14. Cayman Islands
15. The Cahennels Islands
16. Chile
17. Cuba
18. Dominica
19. Estonia
20. Falklans Islands
21. Faroe islands
22. Fiji
23. Finland
24. Gibraltar
25. Greek Islands of Corfu, Crete, Kos, Rhodes and Zakynthos
26. Greenland
27. Grenada
28. Hongkong
29. Iceland
30. Ireland
31. The Isle of Man
32. Isreal
33. Jpana
34. Laos
35. Latvia
36. Macao (macau)
37. Madeira
38. Malaysia
39. Maldives
40. Mauritius
41. Monteserrat
42. Namibia
43. Ne Caledonia
44. New Zealand
45. Nortyhern Nariana Ilsands
46. Norway
47. Pitcairn, Henesron, Dice and Oeno islands
48. Qatar
49. Rwanda
50. Seychelles
51. Singapore
52. South Korea
53. South Georgia and the south Sandwich islands
54. Sri Lanka
55. St Barthelemy
56. St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
57. St Kitts and Nevis
58. St Lucia
59. St Iperre and Miquelon
60. St Vincent and the Grenadines
61. Taiwan
62. Tahiland
63. Turks and Caicos Islands
64. United Arab Emirates
65. Uruguay
66. Us Virgin islands
67. Vietnam
Covid19 Standard Operating Procedures
Even when countries have reopened for tourism, corona virus is real and still spreading and killing some people in some places. The World Health Organization ahs therefore set Standard Operating Procedures for all travelers to follow to curb the further spread of the deadly virus. These include among others:
• Wear a mask whenever you are in public
• Clean your hands regularly with soap and alcohol based rub
• Keep social distance at least 2 meters) from each other
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
• Avoid crowded places
• Sanitize your hands regularly
Generally, the addition of Rwanda to the UK Travel Corridor List is a great achievement for tourism and business in Rwanda. Rwanda travelers can now travel to the United Kingdom without being quarantined for 14 days.
