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Victoria Falls Zimbabwe Covid-19 Updates
11th Feb 2021 Fastjet annouces reintroduction of flights between Johannesburg and Victoria Falls20th October 2020 Fastjet Zimbabwe is pleased to announce the reintroduction of flights between Victoria Falls International Airport, Zimbabwe and Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport from Thursday, 03 December 2020. The new flight schedule will operate three times per week between the two cities, on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, departing from Johannesburg OR Tambo International at 11:00 and arriving in Victoria Falls at 12.50. The return flight will depart Victoria Falls at 13:20 arriving at 14:55 at OR Tambo International Airport. Flights will be operated on the company's fifty seater Embraer ERJ145 aircraft. Tickets for this route will be on sale from the 20th October 2020 with flexible one-way fares on offer for as low as ZAR 1793 or USD 110 per person, including all taxes and free baggage allowance, which includes a checked baggage allowance of 23kgs plus 1 piece of cabin baggage. Travellers arriving in Victoria Falls will be required to show a negative covid test done with 48hrs of their departure. PCR covid tests are available in Victoria Falls, so travellers can obtain a certificate for their return journey. Virgin Atlantic Resumes flights to South Africa18th October 2020 Virgin Atlantic is set to restart flights from London Heathrow to Johannesburg from October 18 and Heathrow to Cape Town from December 10. The airline plans to operate four flights a week between Johannesburg and London Heathrow from October 19 and to increase to a daily frequency by the end of the year. Flight VS450 departs LHR at 21h50 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 21h50, arriving in JNB at 09h40 the following day. Return flight VS449 departs JNB at 20h35 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving in LHR Terminal 2 at 06h35 the following day. The new Cape Town service starts from December 10 and will initially operate a limited schedule, still to be announced. Both routes will, according to VS, provide seamless connections to New York JFK and will be operated by a B787-900 Dreamliner. Ethiopian Airlines 1st Flight arrives in Victoria Falls8th October 2020 Ethiopian Airlines have re-introduced flights to Victoria Falls- Zimbabwe with the first arrival on the 6th October 2020. This is a very positive step forward. Passengers are required to show a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) COVID-19 clearance certificate, issued by a recognised facility within 48 hours of their departure date. If they do not have the required certificate they will need to undergo a PCR test on arrival. PCR tests are now available at the Victoria Falls airport and the results are reported to be done in 3hrs at a cost of $60. When departing from Victoria Falls they can also have this PCR test done in town at the Lancet Laboratory with result again being given within 2 to 3hrs. Travellers need this certificate for clearance on their departing flight and arrival at their destination. Things are moving forward slowly in a positive direction and it does mean that internationals can once again visit the Victoria Falls, as long as they undergo the required PCR testing. Domestic tourism is open and a number of the hotels and activities are open and accepting clients, adhering to strict COVID safety protocols. Zimbabwe land borders are not yet open but this is expected within the next week. Zimbabwe to date has 7919 cases of Corona Virus with 229 recorded deaths. On the ground here in Victoria Falls, there are very few reported cases. International and Domestic Airports Open in Zimbabwe11th September 2020 Zimbabwe's borders have been closed for 6 months, so it is with a huge sigh of relief that the tourism industry of Zimbabwe welcomes the decision by Cabinet for the opening of domestic and international flights on the 10th September and 1st October respectively. This is of course only the first step to tourism opening up again. The next step is for the airlines to schedule inbound flights. We therefore welcome Emirates Airlines decision to resume twice weekly flights to Harare from the 1st October. Hopefully the other airlines will follow suit in the coming days and weeks. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been put in place for the reopening of the international and domestic airports. In addition, the National Guidelines for Aviation Safety and Security have been developed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) to ensure the safety of both the travellers and airport staff. At the present moment, any travellers arriving are required to show a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) COVID-19 clearance certificate, issued by a recognised facility within 48 hours of their departure date. If they do not have the required certificate they will need to undergo a PCR test on arrival and remain in a quarantine centre until the results come back. Hopefully the regional border posts of Beitbridge, Kazungula, Plumtree and Victoria Falls Bridge will open soon to allow self-drive tourists to enjoy Zimbabwe once again. In Victoria Falls, there is a great selection hotels and guest houses that are open, and they have good specials on offer. Victoria Falls has been dubbed as the Adventure Capital of Africa. Activities have been given the green light to go ahead and resume operations, once again adhering to strict COVID safety protocols. In line with these announcements the activity operators are resuming operations for some of the most popular activities like high wire, tour of Victoria Falls, game drives, river cruises and white-water rafting. Some restaurants and cafés are open. As we gain momentum and more tourists arrive, I am confident that all the restaurants will open their doors. To date, Zimbabwe has had 7,453 coronavirus cases and 222 deaths, as reported by the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. So by no means is Victoria Falls back to pre-covid days but positive progress is being made. The situation is ever-changing, and we are on the ground to keep you up-to-date with the situation as it evolves. It’s a good time to start planning your trip, please contact us, and we are more than happy to assist you.
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