198 passengers on Tuesday touched down at Entebbe International Airport, aboard Ethiopian Airlines, as part of the Government repatriation program of stranded Ugandans, non-Ugandan work permit, dependent permit and resident permit holders from abroad.
The flight, primarily comprising of travelers from North America, South and Central America and the Caribbean, made a scheduled stop in Addis Ababa to pick up travelers from the UK, Japan, Korea, Russia, Switzerland and Australia, who legally reside in Uganda and had registered in different geographical locations.
28 children of the Armani Children’s Choir of Kampala Community Church were also among the many who were successfully repatriated from the U.S.
Their repatriation was coordinated by the Uganda Embassy in Washington.
Speaking at Dulles International Airport, Washington, DC, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Uganda Embassy, Ambassador Santa Mary Laker Kinyera, flanked by Members of staff of the Mission, explained that the repatriation flight code-named “Phase II”, originating in the Americas region, was organized through a carefully coordinated registration program by the Uganda Embassies in Washington, DC, Ottawa, London, Moscow, Canberra and Tokyo.
“All passengers on the flight have registered with the Uganda Embassies in their respective areas of accreditation and have deposited with us signed undertakings to adhere to the Ministry of Health guidelines and Government Standard Operating Procedures for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19”, she said.
Kinyera thanked Satguru Travel Agency which facilitated the booking and ticketing process and without whom, the complexity of seamlessly bringing all the travelers together over such a vast geographical region would have proven a mammoth task.
She raised a call to Ugandans and legal residents of Uganda around the world to ensure that they make their presence known to the Embassies in their respective areas of accreditation in order to benefit from Consular notices and services as well as reliable information.
Kinyera also urged Ugandans and others to strictly observe health measures and the Standard Operating Procedures set up to combat Covid-19, once they arrive in Uganda.
