The Ambassador of Uganda to the USA, South America and the Caribbean, Mull Sebujja Katende has seen off a group of 276 Ugandans at Dulles International Airport Washington DC for Entebbe International Airport.
The travelers from the US and Caribbean include Ugandans and legal residents and their dependents, affected by the March 23rd closure of Entebbe Airport due to #Covid-19 concerns.
“The majority of passengers are holders of US visitors’ visas, F1 and J1 student and research fellow visas and Ugandan resident permit holders who were unable to travel back to Uganda when the airport was closed. The Uganda Embassies in North America also registered a number of stranded Ugandans who had traveled for medical reasons.” He said
Given the closure of numerous borders in both North and South America due to #Covid-19 concerns and visa limitations of several of the affected persons, it was necessary to create multiple departure locations, to ensure that everyone who could do so was afforded an opportunity to return.
He explained that the registration and repatriation process though complex, due to the size of the area of accreditation, had been made possible by the seamless coordination and teamwork of the staff at the three Embassies of Uganda in Washington, DC, New York and Ottawa.
He applauded the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health for putting in place clear guidelines and standard operating procedures to ensure that travelers do not just return to Uganda but ensured that they do so safely.
