File image of President William Ruto and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel has rescinded its decision to ban Kenyans from travelling to the country following the Ebola Virus outbreak in East Africa.
In a statement on Monday, June 14, the Israeli Embassy in Kenya announced that the Israeli Ministry of Health had removed Kenya from its travel restrictions list.
The Israeli Embassy also revealed that Rwanda had been removed from the list.
“We are pleased to announce that Israel’s Ministry of Health has decided to remove Kenya and Rwanda from the list of countries subject to temporary Ebola-related entry restrictions,” read the statement.
The move comes after the government protested Israel’s decision to impose a travel ban against Kenya following the Ebola outbreak in the neighboring countries.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Abraham Korir Sing’Oei said the decision was unfair noting that Kenya had not reported any positive case of the Ebola disease even after conducting 80,000 tests.
“Kenya strongly protests the decision by Israel to include the country amongst those whose travellers it will restrict. This is especially unfortunate given Kenya’s support to regional surveillance & response to Ebola. With over 80,000 tests, no case of Ebola has been reported in Kenya,” he stated.
In a notice dated June 10, Israel’s Border Control Department instructed airlines not to allow travellers from DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda to board flights arriving in the country.
“Following the outbreak of the Ebola virus and in accordance with the directives of the State of Israel, effective from the receipt of this notice, it is prohibited to board foreign passengers who meet the criteria specified below on flights bound for Israel.
“You are required to prevent foreign citizens and residents of the following countries from boarding flights arriving in Israel: The Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda,” read the statement in part.
Israel also directed airlines to deny boarding to any foreign national who has stayed in or visited any of the listed countries within 21 days before their intended travel date to Israel, regardless of their nationality or country of residence.
