- Local air travel will resume on July 15 while the international flights will resume on August 1.
- Rail transport will resume on Monday next week while public service vehicles resumed services on Tuesday.
Image: ANDREW KASUKU
Travelling on the road, rail or air will not be the same again.
Passengers must wear face masks, observe physical distancing, undergo routine sanitation, rapid health screening and regularly wash their hands.
While releasing the protocols on Wednesday, Transport CS James Macharia said the Covid-19 pandemic had changed the normal way of life.
“All travel shall be in strict conformity with all protocols from the Ministry of Health and any additional requirements applicable to the different modes of transport,” Macharia said.
The protocols, Macharia said, also include additional measures that have been tailored to different modes of transport.
Local air travel will resume on July 15 while the international flights will resume on August 1.
For travellers, safety and time will be of essence.
Rail transport will resume on Monday next week while public service vehicles resumed services on Tuesday.
Public transport providers entering and leaving counties that were previously under lockdown need a special certificate from the Health Ministry.
At the airports, cleaning and disinfection of terminal infrastructure and all equipment will be done on a regular basis and its frequency should be increased as needed, based on traffic and as advised by Port Health.
All passengers must have their temperature checked before entry to the airport.
Where a passenger’s body temperature will be found to be 37.5°C or higher, checks will be repeated at least once for confirmation purposes.
Any passenger with elevated body temperature shall be referred to secondary assessment by Port Health services present for Covid-19 testing and will not be allowed to travel.
There will be reduced food and drinks.
Travellers are expected to provide their details to the relevant public health authorities upon request for contact tracing purposes.
Already, Kenya Airways, Jambojet, Aim Air, Boscovic Air and Scenic Safaris have expressed willingness to resume local operations.
At the SGR, the entry escalators in the termini will only be available for persons living with disorders.
All passengers in the SGR are required to wear appropriate face masks (covering nose and mouth) while entering the station and maintain the same during the entire journey.
Counters with glass barriers shall be manned by an officer in PPE and shall print all the tickets on behalf of the passengers. Passengers shall not be allowed to operate the ticketing machine.
While waiting on the ticket queue, train passengers are to observe the social distancing rule.
All staff on duty, who during temperature screening have a body temperature of 37.5° or higher, will not be allowed to travel.
They must be isolated, tested for Covid-19 and certified negative before they can embark on any trip.
All staff will use personal protective equipment when in direct contact with passengers and when conducting service or giving care to passengers.
The PPE for the staff shall be surgical face masks, gloves, protective gowns and/or a disposable apron which shall be worn when conducting service or giving care to passengers.
The train crew on layover trips will be confined in designated accommodation areas whenever they are travelling away from their usual work stations.
In case of suspected Covid-19 in the train, station or offices, first aiders on board will immediately ascertain if the symptoms of the suspected person are related to virus as per the guidelines provided by Ministry of Health.
Macharia said Kenya Railways will deploy 10 coaches for passengers with a total one-way capacity of 600 passengers (or 50 per cent capacity), and one additional coach that shall be used to isolate passengers suspected.
The train will stop at the next station, disembark and facilitate smooth movement of the person(s) to the isolation coach.
The first aider will call the emergency number provided by the government to escalate the issue.
The CS said they have evaluated plans to reopen the transport sector in full and are confident that they will assist in the containment of the virus.
“The steps we are taking are by necessity gradual and incremental - and they will be matched with rigorous, ongoing monitoring of the virus, with appropriate actions being taken if there is an unacceptable rise in the rate of new infections,” he said.
Edited by Henry Makori