Suspension Of Int’l Flights To Avert COVID- 19 In Somalia Begins Today

Somalia today has enforced suspension on all international flights for 15 days, a move aimed at preventing the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

The Ministry of civil aviation this week announced that the country will ban all flights from other countries following the confirmation of the first Coronavirus case in the country.

Aviation Minister Abdullahi Salad Omaar last Monday said the government imposed a suspension on all international flights arriving or leaving the country for two weeks.

The ban aimed at curbing the virus’s spread will be effective beginning today March 18. The ban will affect international carriers including airlines from Turkey, Qatar, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda that operate international routes to and from Somalia. Somalia on Monday confirmed its first case of Covid-19 in the country.

The Ministry of Health said on its Twitter handle that the man, a Somali citizen, flew in from China.