Namibia Hunting Update

No direct flights on BA to Windhoek you have to stop somewhere usually Johannesburg .I wish someone would fly direct from uk
 
OK, my bad. Just emailed the guy who flew last Aug. Yup, he routed via J'berg. I was sure when I looked at it for us, maybe ten or so years ago, there was a direct 3-day a week to Windhoek and the reason we didn't book it was because of the airport change between Gatwick and Heathrow and dealing with the rifles for that. Guess my memory is the second thing to be going! :E Excited:
 
Just pulled this from a Namibia newspaper and dated today.
Namibia eases Covid-19 restrictions
29 May 2020 12:54 PM
ALL 14 regions of the country will on Monday migrate to stage 3 of the lockdown exit strategy for the next 28 days – except for Walvis Bay, which will go back to stage 1 until 8 June.

President Hage Geingob announced this yesterday during a media briefing at State House.

The complete lockdown of Walvis Bay is effective immediately following two concurrent Covid-19 cases in the town.

The observance period will be monitored weekly and may be extended.

This is because case number 21 and 22, both from Walvis Bay, have been in contact with over 100 people between them. The extent of secondary contacts remains unknown.

Case number 21 is a truck driver (43) who had allegedly contravened quarantine regulations and visited various businesses.

Case number 22 is a fisherman (63) who had gone to the Democratic Republic of Congo. He too came in contact with various people, including at a local Walvis Bay hospital.

The president said the Ministry of Health and Social Services will identify, trace and test those who have come into contact with the two confirmed cases.

Health minister Kalumbi Shangula said Walvis Bay is a major destination for travellers from high-risk countries.

He said stage 1 regulations will include the closure of schools and higher education institutions, the prohibition of public gatherings of more than 10 people, the banning of travelling without a permit as well as the sale of alcohol, and the restriction of movement.

Moreover, only critical service providers will be allowed to operate.

“This approach is consistent with the national Covid-19 exit strategy, which provides for localised responses to contain and suppress the spread of Covid-19 in our country,” he said.

Minister of Justice Yvonne Dausab confirmed the coastal town will have to adhere to stage 1 lockdown regulations effective immediately.

She said the state of emergency remains intact and is valid.

Attorney general Festus Mbandeka urged transport companies to ensure their truck drivers adhere to quarantine regulations.

He said the owners of the companies would also be held liable for the lack of compliance by truck drivers.

PERMITS

Mbandeka said those people who need to travel from Walvis Bay would need to acquire permits from authorised officers.

The country has endured stage 1 of the Covid-19 lockdown, which lasted 38 days, followed by stage 2, which expires on Monday, 1 June, at midnight.

Geingob said Cabinet met on Tuesday, evaluated data and assessed the country’s readiness to respond to the global pandemic.

He said Namibia’s health is first priority, while praising Namibians and healthcare workers, among others, for adhering to the regulations thus far.

“I was aware that the lockdown is not easy to endure, as they infringe on our rights as human beings, but I am glad to note that as Namibians, we have adopted a selfless approach and understood that to win the war against this invisible enemy, we need to make sacrifices that go far and beyond the norm,” the president said.

Shangula said stage 3 involves the relaxation of some regulations, such as gatherings of not more than 50 people being allowed.

Social distancing will be enforced at 1,5 metres, while masks are still required when in public spaces, he said.

Shangula said businesses are required to keep a register of customers to assist with contact tracing.

ON EDUCATION

Shangula said early childhood development centres, primary and secondary schools, as well as vocational training will resume a face-to-face medium of instruction, with the daily screening of students.

The minister said the school feeding programme will continue.

According to Shangula, Grade 11 and 12 pupils wiil go back to school on 3 June until the end of the year.

Vocational training classes will start on 8 June until 18 December, and pre-primary centres will commence on 22 June, he said.

Grades 7 and 9 will start their schooling on 6 July, while those in Grades 4 to 8, as well as Grade 10 will return to schools on 20 July.

BORDERS AND BUSINESSES

Namibia’s points of entry will remain closed and the restriction of cross-border movement remains in place, with the exception of the transportation of goods, Shangula said.

The ministry has put measures in place to avoid the spread of Covid-19 when it comes to truck drivers, he said.

Shangula said not all businesses will be allowed to resume activities in full.

“Restaurants, cafés and kapana traders may reopen for sit-down dining, but the number of those allowed inside must be restricted per square metre. Restaurants may open for pre-booked customers and no walk-in clients are permitted,” he said.

Food buffets may be handled by staff only and there should be no sharing of pens in completing customer registers.

ALCOHOL BAN LIFTED

Shangula said alcohol may only be sold between 12h00 and 18h00 except on Sundays, while buying and selling is only permitted for takeaways.

Consuming alcohol is only allowed at home and not in public.

He said only holders of valid liquor licences will be permitted to sell alcohol.

“Night clubs, gambling houses and casinos are high risk and will not be permitted to resume activity during stage 3,” he said.

Shangula warned that those violating the regulations will suffer fines because they are punishable offences.

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I was scheduled to land on 06/30 in Windhoek... Delta obviously canceled the ATL - JNB flight I was supposed to be on 06/28. Figured I would hire a professional to figure this out in the event Namibia moves to next level on 06/30. Agent said if Namibia allows US citizens into the country in their next level I could get on the Dallas-Doha-Namibia route... Hopeful that this is the case, so far the outfitter has been agreeable to whenever I am allowed to travel they will take me. I told the travel agent that I would go on 48 hours notice from him, fingers crossed I have plans for 2021 already!
 
Still no news? Looks like SA may open up soon depending on where you look.

it was nice of Qatar airlines to cancel my tickets that cost 2k and now offer tickets costing 2.5k per my travel agent.
 
Still no news? Looks like SA may open up soon depending on where you look.

it was nice of Qatar airlines to cancel my tickets that cost 2k and now offer tickets costing 2.5k per my travel agent.

If they open as planned to International on 06/30 we will still need to wait and see what countries they are accepting travelers from and if there are any quarantine guidelines upon arrival. .

I would imagine it would take the airlines a week or two to get flight schedules lined out. If they open to the US travelers I think the Qatar from Dallas-Doha-Windhoek will be my plan.
 
If they open as planned to International on 06/30 we will still need to wait and see what countries they are accepting travelers from and if there are any quarantine guidelines upon arrival. .

I would imagine it would take the airlines a week or two to get flight schedules lined out. If they open to the US travelers I think the Qatar from Dallas-Doha-Windhoek will be my plan.


The last easing of restrictions they announced about 5 days prior if I remember correctly. I am hoping they give the allowed countries and quarantine details around 06/25/20.
 
Got a message from Jan a bit ago. Supposedly, the various Ministers have been having meetings and discussing but, nothing set as of yesterday.
 
Spike.t - all I know is that before the lockdown, you could go on the BA website and book r/t from the US to London and direct to Windhoek. I know of one guy who actually flew that route last Aug. He didn't carry firearms and it may have been on their code share/subsidiary Comair. I also know a rather popular outfitter on another site that sent a lot of clients on BA to Namibia.

I just looked on the BA website and they are no longer listing any direct flights to WDH for the end of this year. Just flight from LHR to JNB on BA and then from JNB to WDH on Comair.
OK, my bad. Just emailed the guy who flew last Aug. Yup, he routed via J'berg. I was sure when I looked at it for us, maybe ten or so years ago, there was a direct 3-day a week to Windhoek and the reason we didn't book it was because of the airport change between Gatwick and Heathrow and dealing with the rifles for that. Guess my memory is the second thing to be going! :E Excited:

The reason back then was your flight would have arr in Heathrow from usa, but in those days...or even longer ago was that most of BA flights to Zim..Zambia and SA were Gatwick based.......was about that time ago they then moved the southern African flights to Heathrow as they are now
 
Still awaiting news trying to make my decision too. I definitely dont wanna be a Guinea pig and end up quarantined and not hunting. I'm guessing the African version of quarantine isnt as pleasant as the US version which means basically sit at home and we dont verify that
 
Way back during Ebola scares and various quarantines I flew from Miami to London then direct to Windhoek. Guess they have changed it up. Speck we all will be seeing major changes whenever they open up. Cheers
 
Jacques - I was sure I was correct about flying direct from London into Windhoek. I just didn't go back far enough. The outfitter/agent's name was J.J. Hack and was highly recommend that route until BA started charging to carry the rifles and did the transfer for free. Then either England or the city of London started requiring the use of a certified courier service to transport the firearms each way. Between the two extra costs, it drove the total r/t ticket prices over the top of other routes. That was about 12-15 yrs ago.

I also recontacted the guy who flew BA in last Aug and he did say he DID fly BA via London direct to Windhoek in 2008 or 2010 and took his rifles and had not carriage fee or courier transfer fee. It was his next trip a few years later on BA they started the charges and he decided to just use rental rifles.
 
Still awaiting news trying to make my decision too. I definitely dont wanna be a Guinea pig and end up quarantined and not hunting. I'm guessing the African version of quarantine isnt as pleasant as the US version which means basically sit at home and we dont verify that

I spoke with Lori at Travel Express last Thursday. My flight from Dallas-Doha-Windhoek on Qatar on August 15th is still on the books but doubt it remains (maybe it will?). I wouldn’t be interested in 14 day quarantine either. Therefore, I’d say there is a 99% chance that I’ll have to reschedule my date with Chui unfortunately. Just sucks....
 
I spoke with Lori at Travel Express last Thursday. My flight from Dallas-Doha-Windhoek on Qatar on August 15th is still on the books but doubt it remains (maybe it will?). I wouldn’t be interested in 14 day quarantine either. Therefore, I’d say there is a 99% chance that I’ll have to reschedule my date with Chui unfortunately. Just sucks....
100% agree. Sucks but at this point I've basically accepted it...one day I'll find out how wonderful of a place Africa is but I have zero interest in surprises and stress while doing so especially at the level that things could go wrong with this whole mess and all the unknowns
 
Anyone have any updates on Namibia?

Basically deciding to postpone my August trip but want to check in on any news first
 
Anyone have any updates on Namibia?

Basically deciding to postpone my August trip but want to check in on any news first

The last published update was they were going to open to international flights on 07/01/20 however they have not announced which countries they will accept visitors from. The last round of easing they had a press conference about 5 days before and outlined the new rules/restrictions. I would keep an eye on allafrica.com it will give you top news headlines for each African country. I watched the last press conference and plan on getting my info there as there are lots of dates and timelines thrown around on other sites. I will post a link when they announce the guidelines
 
The last published update was they were going to open to international flights on 07/01/20 however they have not announced which countries they will accept visitors from. The last round of easing they had a press conference about 5 days before and outlined the new rules/restrictions. I would keep an eye on allafrica.com it will give you top news headlines for each African country. I watched the last press conference and plan on getting my info there as there are lots of dates and timelines thrown around on other sites. I will post a link when they announce the guidelines

Guess at this point I might as well wait 7-10 days and follow that announcement than
 
Still kind of in a holding pattern. As of yesterday (16 Jun) the govt reported two more active cases that brings their TOTAL cases to a whopping 34 and ZERO deaths. Now...that is if you can believe ANY "numbers" being reported by ANY country. They did move the Walvis Bay area back one step.

Here is something a bit ironic - On 11 June, the govt reported that over 11,000 people had malaria and 34 have died from it in the past three months.

I think they will be making an announcement the last week of this month about maybe opening up the boarders MAYBE a little bit to at least neighboring countries and MAYBE certain off continent countries.

As I understand the situation in J'berg at the airport, CURRENTLY IF you are just transiting the airport and remaining in the secure area you are not subject to the 14-day RSA quarantine. The big question will be what airline(s) will be shuttling between J'berg and Windhoek when the boarder finally does open.
 
Namibia to transit to Stage 4, Erongo to Stage 3

Thirteen Namibian regions (excluding Erongo) will transit from Stage 3 to Stage 4 from 29 June 23h55 up to 17 September.
Erongo Region will migrate to Stage 3 of the post-lockdown period from midnight tonight, but travelling is strictly prohibited around Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Arandis.
Travelling from Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Arandis would only be allowed on an emergency basis.
Grades 0 to 3 will return to face-to-face learning in two weeks on 6 July.
Essential service providers, as defined in the regulations, and truck drivers will be permitted to travel into and out of the region on the basis of an authorised permit.
Public gatherings at Erongo Region will be restricted to 50 persons with the exception of Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Arandis Local Authority Areas, which will be restricted to gatherings of 10 persons.
Public gatherings in the rest of the country are limited to 250 people.
Schools across the Erongo Region, that meet the COVID-19 Compliance Standards, may resume face-to-face instruction for Grade 11 and 12.
For Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and Arandis Local Authority Areas, the resumption of Grades 11, 12, and pre-primary (Grades 0 to 3) remains suspended for the next 14 days.
Face-to-face instruction will be determined pending observation of the unfolding situation in those towns.
Namibia now has 63 confirmed cases, with 21 recoveries and 42 active cases.


Source: https://www.nbc.na/news/namibia-transit-stage-4-erongo-stage-3.33249
 

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