Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | 175 Ugandans on Wednesday returned from the Middle East. They were stranded in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Yemen.
The returnees arrived at 8 pm aboard Fly Dubai Airlines. After screening and processing of their documents at the airport, the returnees were taken for institutional quarantine in various centres in Entebbe and Kampala, where they will spend 14 days.
They were seen off by officials at the Uganda’s Embassy in Saudi Arabia led by the Acting Head of Mission, Nurh Byarufu.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Saudi Arabia Embassy said that it is committed to ensuring that all the 1,800 Ugandans who are stranded in the Middle East return.
The embassy is also arranging more flights for the remaining 1,625 people who are still stranded.
They got stranded following the closure of all land borders and Entebbe international Airport on March 23rd, 2020. Some of the returnees who included expatriates and casual workers lost jobs following the outbreak of Covid-19.
The total number of returnees now stands at 1,868 since June 22nd when Uganda started receiving stranded Ugandans and legal residents into the country.
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