Rwandair halts direct flights to Uganda over spike in Covid-19 cases

Rwanda’s national flag carrier has indefinitely suspended flights to and from Uganda, as the latter grapples with a spike in coronavirus infections.

“Due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Uganda, RwandAir announces the suspension of its flights to Entebbe [International Airport] effective June 10, 2021, until further notice,” RwandAir said in a statement late on Thursday.

The airline advised affected customers to request a refund or rebook and fly at a later date once flights resume.

A record 1,438 new infections were registered in Uganda on Thursday, bringing the cumulative tally to 56,949.

The country’s COVID-19 death toll crossed 400 this week, with health authorities blaming the deteriorating situation on citizens’ refusal to comply with safety rules.

On Monday, the government closed all schools and institutions of higher learning for 42 days.

The decision was announced a day after President Yoweri Museveni said an increasing number of infection clusters had been detected in schools since March, with a total of 948 cases reported in 43 schools in different districts.