Health Alert: U.S. Embassy Lusaka Zambia (March 30, 2020)
Location: Zambia
Event: As of March 30, Mahogany Air has ceased operations in Zambia until April 30. As such, there are currently no domestic flight commercial carriers operating in Zambia. Ethiopian Airlines remains the only commercial carrier flying international routes in and out of Zambia, but due to decreased demand the Embassy has heard that flights are becoming more limited from Addis Ababa to the United States.
The Department of State is currently not organizing an evacuation of American citizens from Zambia, as commercial flights are available. As previously indicated, the embassy strongly urges those who wish to return to the United States, to explore commercial flight options now, as there is no guarantee that the U.S. government will be able to arrange evacuation flights if airspace closes. Also, evacuation flights are not free-of-charge and are, in fact, frequently more expensive than currently available commercial travel.
U.S. citizens who are considering returning to the United States are urged to work with Ethiopian Airlines immediately to make travel arrangements while flights are still available. Booking and local contact information can be found at the following sites:
https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/aa/book/booking
https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/aa/services/help-and-contact/worldwide-contacts/zambia
If you are unable to book a flight through Ethiopian Airlines directly, please contact the embassy’s American Citizen Services (ACS) Unit using one of the options shown below.
Actions to Take:
· Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information on COVID-19.
· 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 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 Zambia.
· Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the United States
Assistance:
U.S. Embassy Lusaka
Subdivision694/Stand 100 Kabulonga District
Ibex Hill Road
Lusaka, Zambia
Phone:
+(260) 211-357-000
+(260) 966-050-123
+(260) 761-107-000
Email: ACSLusaka@state.gov
State Department - Consular Affairs +1-888-407-4747 or +1-202-501-4444
Zambia Country Information
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