High Court orders State to trace and quarantine 239 passengers from China at KDF facility

High Court orders State to trace and quarantine all 239 passengers who landed at JKIA on February 26 from China at a KDF facility.

The High Court on Friday ordered the Government to trace and quarantine all 239 passengers who landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from China.

The passengers landed on Wednesday February 26, 2020, aboard a China Southern Airline plane.

The Court has also ordered that the passengers be confined at a KDF facility.

The Ministry of Defence is also to deploy KDF medical personnel to take charge of all entry points including airports, maritime ports and all border points to contain a possible coronavirus outbreak in the country.  

The Court also issued an order barring preventing entry into Kenya by air, sea and land any persons from China and other WHO designated hot spot countries adversely affected by coronavirus.

Emergency response committee 

President Uhuru Kenyatta also formed a National Emergency Response Committee to monitor the risk posed by the deadly coronavirus following public outcry. 

In an executive order issued on Friday, President Uhuru appointed Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe to head the task force mandated to coordinate Kenya’s preparedness, prevention and response to the deadly disease.

"Having found it both prudent and necessary to establish a framework to upscale and coordinate Kenya's preparedness and national response to the Coronavirus threat," read the statement.

The President also directed the completion of a national isolation and treatment centre at Mbagathi Hospital in Nairobi in a week’s time.

Self-Quarantine

On Wednesday, the Government advised passengers who jetted into the country via China Southern Airlines to "self-quarantine" as a precaution to avoid entry of COVID-19 into the country.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Health on indicated that 239 used the airline to jet into the country.

China Southern Airlines resumed its flight to Nairobi after a temporary halt due to the spread of deadly Coronavirus, which broke out in Wuhan City, China.

The Ministry allayed any fears of entry of the diseases saying that all the passengers were screened onboard, cleared and urged to self-quarantine for 14 days. It however issued a travel advisory to Kenyans and warned them against visiting countries experiencing mass infections.