U.S. Embassy in Guinea

Subject:  Health Alert: COVID-19 and Possible Ethiopian Airlines Flights (May 8, 2020)

There are 1,927 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and eleven deaths reported in Guinea since March 12, 2020.

The U.S. government does not anticipate arranging additional repatriation flights from Guinea to the United States at this time.  U.S. citizens who wish to depart Guinea should do so as soon as a commercial option is available or be prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period.  

The Ethiopian Airlines website is currently showing a flight departing Guinea on May 17 connecting to Newark Airport, and one on May 18, connecting to Dulles Airport in Washington, DC.  Please go to the Ethiopian Airlines website at www.EthiopianAirlines.com  and search for flights.  There may be additional flights to other cities in the U.S. available on other dates.  The U.S. Embassy has no  information other than that found on the Ethiopian Airlines website.

If you are waiting for a less expensive flight, or to be able to arrive in a different city, please understand that those options may not be available to you for an extended period of many months.  If you are unable or unwilling to take advantage of any available option, then you must be prepared to remain in Guinea for the foreseeable future.

Please follow information about commercial options on the websites of commercial airlines operating in Guinea, such as Air France, Brussels Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates, ASKY, etc., or by coordinating with a local travel agency.  Brussels Airlines has suspended all flights to and from Conakry through May 15.

The Gbessia International Airport in Conakry is closed to commercial traffic, and there no regular options for air travel into or out of Guinea.  Any information we received regarding resumption of commercial air operations will be shared in STEP messages.

U.S. citizens who have not already done so, please enroll in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) as all information is disseminated through STEP messages.

U.S. government personnel in Guinea are teleworking to reduce the risk of transmission, have instituted telework and teleconferencing expansions, cancelled all but urgent outside meetings, and directed that only critical in-person meetings be held internally. This shelter-in-place directive has been extended through at least May 8, 2020.

The U.S. Embassy in Conakry has suspended all visa, DNA, and non-emergency services for U.S. citizens.  U.S. citizens may contact us via email at ConakryACS@state.gov. Please pay close attention to the automated response you will receive when emailing this mailbox as we update that response daily with useful information that is likely to answer any questions you may have.

The government of Guinea has implemented enhanced screening and quarantine measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and declared a Health State of Emergency through May 15, 2020. Visit our website at https://gn.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/covid-19-information/ for additional information on these new measures. On March 19, 2020 the Department of State issued a Level 4 Global Health Advisory to U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19.

On March 14, the Department of State authorized the departure from any diplomatic or consular post in the world of US personnel and family members who have been medically determined to be at higher risk of a poor outcome if exposed to COVID-19. In response to the ongoing global COVID-19 outbreak the Peace Corps has withdrawn all Peace Corps volunteers from Guinea. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 3 Warning for COVID-19 advising travelers to avoid all non-essential travel.