Botswana has released the protocols for private charter flights!

Botswana's Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism has released the officially approved protocols for private charter flights, which are permitted to fly into Botswana again since 01 November 2020. According to the protocols, private charter flights are not only allowed to land at Maun Airport (MUB) in Maun and Kasane International Airport (BBK) in Kasane as previously announced, but also at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBR) in Gaborone. The protocols include the following [excerpt]:

Pre-travel requirements:

• Passengers must be in possession of a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test certificate taken within 72 hours prior to entry in Botswana
• Passengers must be in possession of travel insurance covering Covid-19 medical disruptions in the the event that the travelers contracts Covid-19 during the period of travel
• Tourist will only be allowed in Botswana if booked for a minimum of seven days
• Passengers must ensure that all visa requirements, where applicable, are met prior to departure
• All custom and immigration forms should be completed prior to arrival in Botswana
• Passengers with visa requirements should complete such requirements prior to arrival in Botswana

Face masks:

• Face masks that cover mouth and nose must be worn at all times in public areas.
  

Temperature screening:

• Temperature screening for tourists at point of entry of any facility is mandatory. As per Covid-19 protocols, whilst in Botswana, the daily screening of tourists and staff temperatures in mandatory (when they report to work and when they depart for the day)
  

Lodging in Botswana:

• Upon arrival in Botswana, the tourists will be treated as a cohort and their facility used as a quarantine facility. During this period, the cohort can be divided into smaller groups depending on the capacity of the booked facilities. Such groups will not be allowed to seperate or mix with any other group that was not part of the original group nor members of the public during their stay in Botswana except the staff that be servicing them. The tourist will also be allowed to conduct expeditions during their stay as long as they do not seperate. All tourists and handling staff shall be swabbed for Covid-19 on the fifth to seventh day of their stay in Botswana. Payment for Covid-19 testing for the tourists will be borne by the tour organiser as part of the tourism package.
  

Departure:

• Once the tourist test results are negative, they shall be free to move around Botswana subject to local health protocols and applicable laws.