Sierra Leone joins red-listed countries banned from entering the UK due to rising Covid cases

Covid-19

Delta variant

You will only be allowed entry if you are a British or Irish National or have residence rights in the UK.

British Government today announced that on Monday 19th July at 4 AM, Sierra Leone will be joining a long list of countries with a very high prevalence of Covid infections from which travelers are banned from entering England.

Meaning that if you are entering England from Sierra Leone, you will only be allowed entry if you are a British or Irish National or you have residence rights in the UK.

In which case, before you travel to England, you must take a COVID-19 test; book a quarantine hotel package including 2 COVID-19 tests, and complete a passenger locator form.

Your Covid test result should be provided as a printed document or an email or text message you can show on your phone.

If you do not present proof of a negative Covid test, you may not be able to board your flight to England from Freetown. And arriving in England without proof of a negative test, you may be fined £500.

You must provide the original test result notification. It must include the following information:

• your name, which should match the name on your travel documents

• your date of birth or age

• the result of the test

• the date the test sample was collected or received by the test provider

• the name of the test provider and their contact details

• confirmation of the device used for the test, or that the test was a PCR test

If the test result does not include the information, you may not be able to board your flight. And if you arrive in England without a test result including the above information, you might have to pay a £500 fine.

If your test result is positive, you must not travel. You must follow local rules and guidelines laid down by the government of Sierra Leone for positive coronavirus cases. If the result is inconclusive, you must take another test.

British nationals who need consular assistance should contact the British High Commission in Freetown.

Children aged ten and under do not need to take a test. If you are an adult, you do not need to take a test if you are traveling to the UK for urgent medical treatment or accompanying someone traveling for urgent medical treatment. And that it is not reasonably practical to obtain a negative COVID-19 test in the three days before departure; or have a medical condition which means you cannot take a test. You must present a note from a medical practitioner at check-in and to Border Force staff on arrival in England.

Providing false or deliberately misleading information when filling out your passenger locator form before traveling to England is an offense punishable by imprisonment.

You could be fined up to £10,000 or imprisoned for up to 10 years or; both. Or if you do not provide accurate details about the countries you visited the ten days before you arrived in the UK.

Before you travel to England, you must book a managed quarantine hotel where you will quarantine- The quarantine package must include a quarantined hotel, food and drink, quarantine transfers, and travel test package COVID-19 on day2 and day8 of quarantine.

You will need to book, and pay for, a Quarantine Package before you complete your passenger locator form and board your return journey to the UK. You will only be able to book this within the two weeks before arriving in the UK.

If you break the quarantine rules, you may face a penalty of up to £10,000.

The decision by the British government to downgrade Sierra Leone from its amber list to red list was expected, after over one thousand (1000) cases of Covid were recorded in just four weeks in June.

Although the number of people that have died remains relatively low at 102, there are fears this figure may be much higher.

Two weeks ago, the government of Sierra Leone announced new Covid restrictions across the country, including an 11 PM to 5 AM curfew and the closure of all places of worship – except for funerals.

The British government says it will keep its list under constant review. Meanwhile, it “advises against all but essential travel to Sierra Leone based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks.”

Article by Abdul Rashid Thomas via Sierra Leone Telegraph

Guidelines: Arriving and Departing by Air

Sierra Leone

Post-COVID-19: Travel

Following the declaration made by His Excellency Brig. (Rtd.) Julius Maada Bio on the resumption of commercial flight operations on the 22nd of July 2020.

The Government of Sierra Leone and Ministry of Transport and Aviation, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority, Sierra Leone Airports Authority, and the National COVID-19 Emergency Response Centre (NaCOVERC). Publish the following safety and public health guidelines shall be strictly adhered to by all arriving and departing passengers to /from the Freetown International Airport - Lungi.

Arriving Passengers

1. All passengers shall produce a-negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test result issued no longer than 72hrs before departure at the point of origin.

2. At the check-in desk at the airport of embarkation, passengers are required to display travelers’ authorization to Sierra Leone, received through the Government of Sierra Leone travel portal (www.travel.gov.sl). The travel authorization consists of:

   • Negative PCR COVID-19 test result issued no longer than 72 hours before departure

   • Pre-departure Public Health Passenger Locator Form

   • Proof of payment for COVID-19 testing on arrival paid through the online platform

3. Health officials will collect temperature, and a Basic health screening data and seat number on arrival.

4. All passengers subject to a mandatory COVID-19 test upon arrival:

   • Passengers will simultaneously have a PCR test swab and an RDT test on arrival

   • If the RDT screening is negative, passengers are allowed to depart from the airport and observe public health protocols mandatory, proper mask-wearing, hand washing, and physical distancing while awaiting their PCR test result

   • If the RDT screening if positive, passengers will be isolated at a hotel in Lungi while awaiting their PCR test result. Note: The cost of the accommodation at the hotel borne by the passenger

   • For all test results, the PCR result supersedes the RDT result

   • PCR results will be disseminated via the local contact number confirmed by the passenger on arrival

5. All children under 2-years shall be exempt from pre-departure and arrival PCR test requirements.

6. Airline crew are exempted from the pre-departure and arrival PCR test requirements and should follow airline policy for testing. The airline crew must adhere to public health protocols.

7. Two temperature screenings conducted by Port Health Services. If the temperature 37.5 degrees Celsius or above, the passenger' will be taken aside for further observation.

8. All passengers shall go through a walk-through disinfectant channel/Infrared temperature scanner at the entrance of the arrival hall.

9. All passengers with machine-readable passports shall go through the Immigration E-gate system. Passengers with Emergency Travel Certificates or non-machine-readable passports shall go through the Immigration booth.

10. At the Baggage Reclaim section, passengers shall maintain social distancing and observe all public health protocols, including proper use of face mask at all times.

11. All passengers will be directed to a Reception Lounge while awaiting their COVID-19 test.

12. Passengers with a negative RDT screening test, are cleared to proceed to their destination while awaiting their PCR result and adhering to public health protocols. PCR test results (available in no more than 48 hours) will be distributed via the contact confirmed on arrival.

13. If a passenger’s PCR test is positive, s/he will be contacted by public health authorities and taken to an appropriate treatment center.

14. Passengers sitting near a positive case on the plane will be considered primary contacts. Self-quarantine and monitoring by public health officials will be required.

15. All passengers strictly advised observing all public health protocols (proper and constant use of face mask, hand washing/sanitizing, social distancing) as directed by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation / NaCOVERC.

16. The same protocols shall apply to all VIP passengers.

Departing Passengers

1. All passengers are subject to a mandatory Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) COVID19 test with a negative result issued no longer than 72hrs before departure at the Freetown International Airport. Cost for the test borne by the passenger.

   • Passengers will use the Government of Sierra Leone Travel Portal to request their pre-departure test, to pay for the test, and to schedule sample collection

   • Passengers with negative PCR results will receive e-confirmation and certificates ahead of travel. Physical copies collected at the airport at a designated desk

   • Passengers with positive PCR results will not be permitted to travel and must follow public health protocols for isolation and contact tracing. They will be re-tested after seven days

   • Passengers who have entered Sierra Leone within five days shall be exempt from the mandatory additional test on departure

   • All children under 2-years shall be exempt from PCR test requirements

2. On arrival at the airport, passengers shall be directed to a reception area to avoid congestion and ensure social distancing during the check-in process.

3. All passengers are encouraged to complete their check-in online before arriving at the airport

4. All departing passengers shall go through the thermal screening/disinfectant channel at the airport’s departure entrance.

5. All departing passengers shall have their passport/traveling document verified before proceeding to the check-in counter.

6. Departing passengers shall proceed to the check-in counter for baggage drop and collection of their boarding pass. While at the check-in counter, they are mandated to produce their COVID-19 PCR negative test certificate or e-certificate issued within the past 72 hours.

7. Departing passengers shall proceed to the immigration services for onward travel authorization via the e-gate or immigration booth.

8. All departing passengers shall go through security screening before proceeding to the departure hall.

9. All departing passengers shall proceed to the waiting lounge where social distancing, proper use of face mask, and other health protocols shall be strictly observed.

10. All passengers shall proceed to the final screening and verification point prior to boarding the aircraft.

11. Boarding procedures shall be in accordance with the approved SOPs of the respective airlines.

12. All passengers are strictly advised to observe all public health protocols (proper use of face mask, hand washing/sanitizing, observe social distancing) as directed by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation / NaCOVERC.

13. The same protocols shall apply to all VIP passengers.

The Government of Sierra Leone and Ministry of Transport and Aviation, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority, Sierra Leone Airports Authority, and the National COVID-19 Emergency Response Centre (NaCOVERC). Publish the following safety and public health guidelines shall be strictly adhered to by all arriving and departing passengers to /from the Freetown International Airport - Lungi.

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