Omicron variant strain causes world travel chaos

The United States yesterday suspended visa services worldwide while authorities in Dubai slapped a 48-hour ban on flights from Kenya as the Omicron variant continued to wreak havoc on travel across the world.

The restrictions by the US government and the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) stopping Kenyans from setting foot in Dubai over the 48-hour period came on a day the Covid-19 positivity rate shot to 29.6 per cent, up from 24.4 per cent recorded on Sunday.

The US government announced that it was cancelling scheduled visa appointments from December 20, 2021, to January 3, 2022, a move likely to affect Kenyans seeking to travel to or from the US for the Christmas and New Year festivities.

“In response to significant worldwide challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of State has temporarily suspended routine visa services at all US embassies and consulates,” said a statement from the American government.

The statement indicated that routine visa services will resume “as soon as possible” but was not specific on the date.

“If you had a regular visa appointment scheduled from December 20, 2021, to January 3, 2022, your visa appointment is cancelled,” the statement further stated.

It advised visa seekers to access any future appointment scheduling once they receive a system-generated cancellation notification email at https://als.usvisa-info.com/en-ke/niv to reorganise their appointment to a later date.

“We will resume routine visa services as soon as possible but are unable to provide a specific date at this time,” the statement read.

On a positive side, the visa seekers will not lose the Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee which is valid and may be used for a visa application in the country where it was purchased within one year of the date of payment.

The US visa appointment cancellation came hours after the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority banned flights from Kenya to the Middle Eastern economic hub for 48 hours.

Emirates Airlines said yesterday morning that all customers from Kenya will not be accepted to travel during the period of the ban which took effect at 10.30am local time in Dubai (9.30am in Kenya).

“As per the directive from Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), all air transport services with inbound and transit passenger movements to the Emirate of Dubai from any point in the Republic of Kenya are temporarily suspended for 48 hours effective from  December 20, 2021, at 10.30am local time Dubai. Customers will not be accepted for travel on Emirates flights at Nairobi during this time,” the statement said.

Travel documents

This is likely to disrupt travel to other countries since the airport is the world’s busiest hub for international travel and also the home of Dubai state-owned airline Emirates.

The airport had projected more than 60 million travellers to be processed next year.

The airline, however, said that outbound passenger operations from Dubai to Nairobi remain unaffected.

While expressing its regrets over the inconveniences caused by the directive, Emirates airline asked its customers to hold onto their travel documents until the temporal flight cancellation is lifted.

“Affected customers do not need to call us immediately for rebooking. Customers can simply hold on to their Emirates ticket and when flights resume, get in touch with their travel agent or booking office to make new travel plans,” the statement from the airline added.

While the reason for the cancellation was not clear, the move follows the suspension of flights from other African countries following detection of a new Covid Omicron variant which has resulted in more hospitalisation in health facilities across Kenya.

Last evening, People Daily established that flights from Dubai to Nairobi had also been affected by the ban.

Emirates EK721 from Dubai to Nairobi was first rescheduled and later cancelled. The flight was expected in Kenya at 6.20am. Sources said the cancellation of flights between the two countries could be as a result of rising cases fake PCR tests from Kenya.

According to the sources, authorities in Dubai were concerned by the high number of people carrying negative Covid results but who upon being subjected to tests in the middle East nation returned positive outcome.

Until it is revised, the move could be a setback for a country that depends on tourism which had shown signs of recovery recently after President Uhuru Kenyatta lifted a nationwide curfew and other movement restrictions.

Last week, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe confirmed the presence of the first-spreading Omicron variant first detected in South Africa and neighbouring countries.

Three travellers from South Africa; two Kenyans, and a South African national tested positive of the variant.

On October 15, UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and the General Civil Aviation Authority announced suspension of entry for travellers from some African countries, notably the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In Kenya yesterday, 1,020 people tested positive for the disease. The cases were picked from a sample size of 3,444 tested in the last 24 hours.

“The positivity rate is now at 29.6 per cent. From the cases, 906 are Kenyans while 114 are foreigners. 534 females and 486 are males. The youngest is a one-year-old child while the oldest is 95 years,” the CS said in his daily Covid-19 update.

This leaves the country with 264,727 total confirmed positive cases and 2,933,764 cumulative tests so far conducted since the disease hit the country in March 2020.

A total of 288 patients are currently admitted in various health facilities countrywide, while 5,631 are under the Home-Based Isolation and Care programme, according to the latest data from the ministry.

Despite reporting some recoveries, the CS said 16 patients are fighting for their lives in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), nine of them on ventilatory support while seven are on supplemental oxygen.