Italian duo blocked at Moi airport over coronavirus symptoms

Two Italians denied entry into Kenya at Mombasa's Moi International Airport after flying in from Addis Ababa aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

Reports indicate that the two Italians arrived on tourist visas.

Marbeillo Fransisco and Marbiello Maurice were singled out because they allegedly had symptoms associated with Covid-19.

As the two were preparing to disembark, officials from a multi-agency team ordered them to stay in the plane.

The other 42 passengers on the same plane were allowed in but asked to self-quarantine for two weeks.

Mombasa County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo said, "Yes the two were denied entry after it emerged that they came from Italy. They were later deported to Addis Ababa."

Kitiyo said details of the 42 passengers were taken and that medical and security officers are monitoring them. He did not, however, reveal their nationalities.

"The other passengers did not show any symptoms of the virus but we had to advise them to self-quarantine."

On Sunday, President Uhuru Kenyatta unveiled a series of strict measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

One of the measures was a ban on foreigners from countries that have confirmed coronavirus cases.

Italy is one of the European countries that has recorded a high number of those infected.

It remains the second country with the highest infections after China, where the disease was first reported.

By Monday, according to figures from the World Health Organisation, Italy had 24,747 cases of the virus and 2,158 deaths. The number of deaths in a week has shot up by 368 in Italy.

Last week, chartered planes from Milan suspended flights to Kenya.

Coast Regional Police Commander Rashid Yakub said all entry points to the country at the Coast have been secured to keep the virus at bay.

He said medical and security officials have been dispatched to all airports, Lunga Lunga one stop post, Taita Taveta, ports and the Manda Airstrip.