All 239 passengers in the China Southern Airline flight have tested negative for coronavirus, the Health ministry has said.
Health director general Patrick Amoth on Thursday said the ministry is still on high alert to avert spread of the disease.
The 239 passengers arrived in Kenya on February 26 via the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.Amoth in the report added that all entry points have mandatory screening areas to keep covid-19 outside the country’s borders.Starting January 20, some 320,123 passengers have been screened for coronavirus.
“Each air, sea and land point of entry has a designated isolation facility to separate suspected cases for further monitoring,” Amoth said.The report was presented in court following High Court judge James Makau’s directive for the ministry to share its contingency plan to handle the outbreak.
The Law Society of Kenya and others sued the government for allowing the Chinese flight to land at the JKIA while there were fears of the virus spread.Makau further urged the Health ministry to trace the 239 passengers and quarantine them.The matter will be mentioned on April 2.
The report defined measures put in place by the government to address the virus threat in the country.While most medics have been stationed at the JKIA, more medical personnel have been deployed across international and local airports.
The Health ministry is liaising with the Immigration department to monitor incoming passengers.“The ministry surveillance teams continually monitors these passengers to review the health status as part of additional measures to manage the risk.
”Amoth added that more surveillance is pushed on people who have been to countries with confirmed covid-19 cases.“It is important to note that not all Chinese workers are incoming from mainland China, but are nevertheless subjected to the strategic action but self quarantine is an acceptable WHO recommended practice as a precautionary measure to minimise risk of spread.”
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