This article dated June 30 claims that the European Union (EU) has blacklisted Kenyans from entering its borders when it reopens on July 1.
Background
As of July 2, 2020, there were over 2 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the whole of Europe since the first confirmed cases in France on January 25 (see up-to-date numbers here). Russia has been the worst affected country in Europe with 600,000 confirmed cases, followed by Spain, the United Kingdom and Italy, all with over 200,000 confirmed cases each.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, lockdowns and other coordinated restrictive measures have been put in place to curb the spread of the virus. On 13 May, the European Commission, comprising of 27 countries, presented guidelines and recommendations to help the Member States gradually lift travel restrictions, with all the necessary safety and precautionary means in place.
Verification
On June 30, the EU released an official statement giving approval to 14 countries beyond its borders, with Rwanda being the only East African country on the list as observed from the screenshot below:
EU President Charles Michel said that the EU will continue to “monitor the situation regularly” as the bloc relaxes travel restrictions for 14 countries.
“We have to remain vigilant and keep our most vulnerable safe,” Michel wrote on Twitter.
The statement, however, gave exemptions for countries where travel restrictions continue to apply as seen in the screenshot below:
Verdict
As of now, Kenyans are not on the list of countries allowed to travel to Europe making the claim TRUE.
Add comment