Covid testing on arrival #Uganda flops and successes. A thread. Advance communication - a flop. As usual, passengers go through confusion with each new rule at Entebbe. However, people on the ground are doing their best to help.
Immigration. Efficient and focused process. A success. Luggage belt efficiency: a success. Luggage scanning, a success. Fast and efficient. Exiting the airport building to walk in a long loop uphill to a holding area - total flop. It’s coming to midnight and everyone has luggage.
Bank payment: partly a flop. Test cost of as communicated in USD, $30 per nose. PostBank however receives cash UGX so if you have cash $ you have to exchange for UGX. Long queue to pay though staff are quite efficient.
Waiting for results. There’s a large, new, clean hall guarded by soldiers and full of Nice House of Plastics chairs, promptly branded with CAA logo. There’s a soda stand. Absolutely nothing to do but sit; also a flop.
Surprise success: you get an email telling you that your sample has been submitted for testing. And that you can expect to receive results. Good. I’m glad.
Flop: guys reading passenger names over some public address system. All we hear is: “burommbrommnbm, ambambarmbarmmm, morobnbmrombomm” so passengers go towards the source of noise (gathering and crowding).
Waiting time and choice of test: flop. Considering all passengers come with fresh PCR test anyway, a rapid antigen test and 15 minutes waiting time could be a friendlier option. Especially if we really want tourists in Uganda.
Otherwise still waiting and tired plus bored. People walking around without masks (I have a mask on my face for 15 hours now) or doing the chin-masking so it’s really exciting to come back home into this chaos.
If we didn’t pick Covid thus far, our chances are going up with every minute we spend surrounded by the people not following the SOPs at all. I can’t take photos on the sly but trust me, I see at least 20 people without masks and about the same number of masked chins.
Proof of #BUBU 
Crowding around the information desk, a flop.
Meanwhile the holding area is full of screens, I can count at least six in front of me. Is it difficult to type the names of people whose results are out, and run them on the screens? Another flop.
Totally unacceptable crowding at Entebbe Airport. Finally someone shouting at the crowd to disperse.
Best is: my husband got his test result but mine is nowhere to be seen, samples taken at the same time. This deserves a reaaaaalllllllyyyyy sloooooooow clap 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Meanwhile, if you don’t get Covid at the airport, malaria is a given. Mosquitoes descend on you in hordes. You’d think spraying will be the natural thing to do…
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