Two months ago when Ugandans who are stuck abroad due to suspension of flights to Uganda asked the government to devise means of them coming back home, President Museveni tasked the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health to work together to plan on how to safely repatriate Ugandans.
The Foreign Affairs ministry directed Ugandan Embassies abroad to register all Ugandans that were willing to travel back home and undergo mandatory quarantine at their cost. The Ministry revealed that over 2,400 Ugandans have already registered and are waiting for communication of the schedule of their travel.
Today, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Oryem Okello has said that Uganda will receive returnees from five countries this month alone, starting with those from South Africa that will travel aboard a chartered Uganda Airlines flight on Thursday, June 25, 2020.
Other returnees from Sudan, United Kingdom, India, and Afghanistan will use Fly Dubai and Ethiopian Airlines. Oryem has said that quarantine centres are ready to receive these returnees for mandatory 14-day quarantine, and this will be after the presentation of COVID-19 negative certificate and willingness to bear all costs.
The decision to allow Ugandans return home comes at a time when the government is slowly relaxing restrictions as the country returns to normal after 90 days of strict restrictions that were intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19.