The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The US. Embassy is liaising with the Ugandan government to allow a plane to land at and depart with its citizens from Entebbe International Airport in the next one week.
The US embassy confirmed in a statement that they are working with a private airline to have US citizens who wish to return home to get the opportunity.
The flight, the US embassy statement said, will be via an international routing to either JFK or IAD, with the option for onward domestic flights according to availability. The airline estimates the cost will be approximately $2500 per ticket for an itinerary terminating at IAD. The price may vary, depending on final destination.
The embassy also confirmed it will not be a U.S. government operated or funded flight, and its departure will depend on the airline getting sufficient passengers.
Uganda has banned all passenger planes arriving and leaving the country as a measure to control the spread of COVID-19.
Ok, but in the light that no incoming nor outgoing passenger airplane is allowed, how will this request be treated by other travellers?
We are watching and waiting to see.
Will Uganda allow only Americans to leave and no other nationalities?
How can such a decision be explained without creating a diplomatic mess and damaging relations with those who would be effectively relegated to “unimportant” or “less than” or “second class” or “third world” countries by such a decision?
Have we been colonized while we were being preoccupied with other things?
It doesn’t make sense- leave beautiful Uganda, where there are just a few virus cases, to go to the states where there are hundreds of thousands?! But it is not only Uganda, it is happening elsewhere- for example, Germany just sent 5 massive Airbus 380s to Australia to bring Germans home.
I suspect this flight was an attempt at diplomacy, or simply exchanging favors, between the Government and the US Embassy- neither of whom really care much about their average citizens.