By Mohamed Foday Conteh
The latest update of the UK travel guide has left Sierra Leone on the red list despite contestations by Freetown authorities and the decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases recorded in the country.
The measures instituted against the country by London came into effect on Monday 19 July 2021. However, NaCOVERC Communication Lead, Solomon Jamiru said the action was quite unsettling especially when commercial flights had resumed and a lot of things had opened up within the context of COVID-19 all over the world.
The red-listed countries come with the tightest rules in terms of travelling into the United Kingdom.
“If you have been in a country or territory on the red list in the last 10 days, you will only be allowed to enter the UK if you are a British or Irish National, or you have residence rights in the UK,”
the guide says, adding that on arrival in Britain you must quarantine in a managed hotel, including proof of two COVID-19 test results.
The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention had also placed Sierra Leone on level four which means highly risky in terms of COVID infection. However, it has now revised it level 2 1 moderate risk.
As a way of addressing the situation, the government recently tightened the COVID-19 prevention and protective measures like the enforcement of the use of facemasks, limiting public gatherings, mass vaccination, and intensifying surveillance. A move that has made significant progress in the reduction of the number of cases.
To also accelerate it the nationwide vaccination campaign which has been extended to all adults received a boost on 8 August with 96,000 doses of AstraZeneca Vaccine under the COVAX facility.
The latest donation brings to 192,000 total doses received so far by the country under the COVAX facility. The first batch was also delivered on the 8 March 2021 which helped the country roll out the nationwide vaccination drive starting with frontline workers and other targeted adult populations.
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