In a statement, the Somaliland ministry of health has announced the suspension of the Covid-19 PCR test requirement certificate for the travelers starting from January 2023. The ministry officials said they made the decision after they observed there were less confirmed Covid-19 cases in the past month.
The government clarified that they will continue to encourage people to receive their covid vaccination and provide PCR test certificates to those traveling where the certificate is mandatory.
On several occasions, opposition parties condemned the ministry for issuing unnecessary directives against travelers referring to the PCR test and asked to lift the requirement as many countries in the region and around the world have eliminated such requirements.
Initially, travelers could not board flights out of Egal International Airport without a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate issued by the Ministry of Health Development in Hargeisa Group Hospital at the cost of 45 US dollars per person.