Overview
As the global COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly evolving, we have gathered below important information about our destinations concerning the current measures in place in country, the entry and quarantine requirements, testing facilities available and news related to any vaccination campaign happening.
GOOD TO KNOW: We offer virtual opportunities for students and universities include internships, practica, online courses, and integrated custom programs that are similar to on-site faculty-led programs. For more information, visit our GEI Virtual Opportunities Page.
Status as of January 15th, 2021 in GEI destination countries
East Africa
KENYA
Entry requirements: Foreigners travelling to Kenya must possess a COVID-19 negative medical certificate issued no more than 96 hours prior to the date of arrival and will be subject to temperature screening at the airport.
Quarantine information: Passengers who may have a body temperature above 37.5℃ (99.5°F) or any symptoms of coronavirus will be referred to further management which may include testing and/or quarantine (72 hours).
Measures in place: curfew applies from 10pm to 4am. Tourist attractions are open.
Testing facilities: 54 Approved COVID-19 PCR testing laboratories have been put up to carry out Covid-19 testing across Kenya. The charge for the test is approximately USD100 (KES10,000) at private health facilities and USD50 (KES 5,000) at government hospitals. Test results are available within 48 – 96 hours.
Vaccination Campaign: Kenya has joined other countries in the race to secure COVID-19 vaccines, and has ordered 24 million doses from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
UGANDA
Entry requirements: Foreigners travelling to Uganda must possess a COVID-19 negative medical certificate issued no more than 72 hours prior to the date of arrival as an official printed version (no SMS or digital certificate will be accepted). Passengers will be subject temperature checks and enhanced screening. A negative PCR COVID-19 test is required from all departing travellers.
Quarantine information: None except if passengers show symptoms of COVID-19.
Measures in place: curfew applies from 9pm-6am. All parks and attractions are open.
Testing facilities: 14 accredited laboratories have been put up to carry out Covid-19 testing across Uganda.
Vaccination Campaign: awaits WHO guidance.
RWANDA
Entry requirements: Foreigners travelling to Rwanda must possess a RT-PCR COVID-19 negative medical certificate issued no more than 120 hours prior to the date of arrival and will be subject to temperature screening and take a RT-PCR test at the airport (USD 60). Visitors must be tested negative before departing Rwanda.
Quarantine information: All travelers are required to wait 24 hours for the results of their COVID-19 test done at the airport in a designated hotel booked before arrival. If the test result is positive for COVID-19 (even if asymptomatic) while in Rwanda, they will be treated as indicated in the National Covid-19 Management Guidelines until they have fully recovered, at their own cost.
Measures in place: Public and private transport is prohibited to and from the city of Kigali as well as between different districts. Travel will only be permitted for medical reasons and essential services. there is an imposed curfew from 8:00 pm to 4:00 am until further notice. All tourism activities are open and tourists are welcome to visit as long as they respect all Covid-19 prevention measures. As for visiting national parks all visitors are required to have negative covid-19 test of not later than 72 hours. All business establishments, including restaurants, shops, markets and malls must close operations daily by 6:00 PM
Testing facilities: For departure, the test is pre-booked via irembo.gov.rw. There are two testing site possible, one is located at the “Petit stade” and the second site is Lancet Laboratories located at Umuyenzi Plaza, 1st floor.
Vaccination Campaign: no plan yet.
TANZANIA
Entry requirements: Foreigners travelling to Tanzania must possess a COVID-19 negative medical certificate issued no more than 72 hours prior to the date of arrival and will be subject to temperature screening at the airport.
Quarantine information: None except if passengers show symptoms of COVID-19.
Measures in place: no movement restrictions, nor curfew. Tourist attractions are open.
Testing facilities: IST Clinic in Dar es Salaam has been designated as an official testing site for COVID-19 for travelers via the Ministry of Health. At present, the result will take 24 hours and around Sh230,000 or USD100.
Vaccination Campaign: no plan yet.
South Africa
Entry requirements: Foreigners travelling to South Africa must possess a COVID-19 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) negative medical certificate issued no more than 72 hours prior to the date of arrival and a health insurance.
Quarantine information: If you do not have a negative PCR test, you may have to quarantine in a government-appointed quarantine facility, at your own cost.
Measures in place: curfew applies from 9pm to 6am. Access to national and provincial parks, and other parks where access control measures and entry limitations are already in place, will remain open to the public. Hotels, lodges, bed and breakfasts, timeshare facilities, resorts and guest houses are subject to a restriction on the number of persons allowed in the establishment to not more than 50% of the available accommodation capacity, with patrons observing a distance of at least one and a half metres from each other.
Testing facilities: Covid-19 testing in South Africa is handled by public hospitals, private doctors, community clinics and even some pharmaceutical retailers. Two of South Africa’s largest pharmaceutical chains, Clicks and Dis-Chem, also offer Covid-19 testing, with a possibility to book an appointment online or on the phone.
Vaccination Campaign: Not available yet. The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) has established a specialised working group of experts to prepare for the country’s coronavirus vaccine rollout.
Southeast Asia
CAMBODIA
Vaccination Campaign: The Vietnamese government is doing its best to produce and test a vaccine quickly.
Three of the four companies involved have already managed to reach the laboratory-scale production state and are currently assessing the safety and immunity of vaccines in animals. It is expected that Vietnam will be able to widely supply vaccines in the second quarter of 2022. The estimated price of Covid-Vaccine made in Vietnam is around VND 120,000/shot (USD 5).
Entry requirements: Foreigners travelling to Cambodia must possess a COVID-19 negative medical certificate issued no more than 72 hours prior to the date of arrival. Upon arrival at the airport, they’ll have to pay a deposit of USD2,000 for mandatory COVID-19 testing and potential treatment services. Visitors will be tested at the airport and taken to a designated quarantine hotel to wait for laboratory results.
Quarantine information: The Cambodia government arranges accommodation for quarantine during 14 days for visitors (at their expenses).
Measures in place: no movement restriction, nor curfews and tourist sites are open.
Testing facilities: three places offer rapid and reliable COVID-19 testing: National Institute for Public Health (NIPH), the Khmer-Soviet Hospital, and the Chak Angre Krom Referral Hospital.
Vaccination Campaign: awaits WHO guidance.
THAILAND
Entry requirements: Foreigners who are students of accredited formal education institutions in Thailand and Holders of a Tourist (TR) visa are eligible to enter Thailand. Other foreigners are not permitted to enter Thailand
Quarantine information: Foreigners will be quarantined for 14 days in an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) upon arrival in Thailand.
Measures in place: Provinces are categorized into 4 risk areas: red (highly controlled area), orange, yellow and green zone. As of January 4th, 28 provinces are red, including Bangkok. Consequently, schools are closed, gatherings are banned, and the operating hours of businesses are reduced.
Testing facilities: in several hospital and costs around USD120-200.Vaccination Campaign: Thailand is looking into importing vaccines and supporting local production at the same time. The country has developed a Covid-19 vaccine from plant leaves and succeeded in laboratory testing in December 2020. Human trials are expected before June 2021.
VIETNAM
Entry requirements: As of December 1, due to a third wave of Covid-19 in a localized community, Vietnam has temporarily suspended all inbound commercial flights, except for repatriation flights carrying Vietnamese nationals home. No foreigners are permitted to enter.
Quarantine information: All arrivals are subject to compulsory 14-day quarantine and then 14 days of supervision.
Measures in place: Hotels are open but mostly for domestic tourism. Currently, all public and private services are operating as usual (including schools) even though no major entertainment events are allowed. Social distancing is recommended, and hand sanitizers are readily available in public facilities.
Testing facilities: there are 91 designated laboratories capable of conducting COVID-19 tests in Vietnam.
