Location: Namibia (countrywide)
Event: The Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services has confirmed 11 cases of COVID-19 in Namibia.
The Department of State has issued a Global Level 4 Health Advisory for COVID-19, and the Centers for Disease Control issued on March 27, 2002 a global Warning Level 3 Travel Health Notice to avoid nonessential international travel.
To date, we have not received confirmation that any seats will be available on flights being arranged by European diplomatic missions from Windhoek to Europe. There are a large number of EU citizens waiting for these flights, and U.S. citizens would be considered only on a space available basis once all EU citizens seeking repatriation have been accommodated. If we are informed of available seats, we will share that information immediately via email. Please be advised that it will be very short notice to depart – likely the same day.
The U.S. Embassy in Windhoek separately is working to finalize details for a special commercial flight from Windhoek to Lusaka. The capacity of this flight is 50 people, and the airline requires a minimum of 48 confirmed passengers in order to move forward with the flight. If you have not confirmed to us that you would like to be included on this flight, please do so now. This is the only flight that the Embassy has scheduled at this time. Should you not take this flight, you should plan to remain in Namibia for the foreseeable future.
This flight will take passengers to Lusaka, Zambia, after which passengers would continue to the United States on Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We are working closely with our U.S. Embassies in Zambia and in Ethiopia and with Ethiopian Airlines to ensure that commercial options with sufficient seats remain available for those interested in these flights. Ethiopian Air is holding a block of seats for American citizens on a flight from Lusaka through Addis Ababa to Dulles, VA. If individual passengers would like to work with Ethiopian Airlines to select another destination, they have flights available from Addis Ababa to Newark, New York, Houston, and Chicago.
We anticipate that the flight to Lusaka will be departing Windhoek early this week. It is possible that you would be notified of space on a flight the day before or the same day of the flight. If you are interested in being included in a repatriation flight and have not yet done so, please fill out this Repatriation Form immediately for each individual who would be interested in a repatriation flight. If you have already filled out this form, there is no need to fill it out again.
Seats on repatriation flights are offered first to official U.S. government personnel and their dependents, U.S. citizens at higher risk from COVID-19, U.S. citizen minors and their family members, and adult U.S. citizens in need of medical assistance who do not fall into a higher priority group, in that order. After these priority boarding groups are accommodated, seats will be offered to U.S. citizens, dependents of U.S. citizens, and other eligible persons, in that order.
We are in touch with the Namibian Government regarding the current travel restrictions in place in the Erongo and Khomas regions, as we realize that some of you are not currently located in Khomas. We have been informed that the National Committee will meet tomorrow to discuss what documentation will be needed for individuals to be granted entry to Khomas for the purpose of joining a repatriation flight. We will share this information as soon as we receive it.
Interested parties should verify that their passports and other documentation are current and valid for at least six months from today’s date. For emergency American Citizen Services, including emergency passports, please visit our website for additional information at https://na.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/
Actions to Take:
- Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.
- For the most recent information on what you can do to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19, please see the CDC’s latest recommendations.
- Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.
- Check with your airlines, cruise lines, or travel operators regarding any updated information about your travel plans and/or restrictions.
- Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 for information on conditions in Namibia.
- Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the United States
Assistance:
- U.S. Embassy Windhoek, Namibia
14 Lossen St., Ausspannplatz, Windhoek
+264-61-295-8522; +264-85-686-0853 (U.S. citizen emergencies after hours)
ConsularWindhoek@state.gov
https://na.usembassy.gov/ - State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 202-501-4444 - Namibia Country Information
- Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts.
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