(3 minutes read)
· A Kenya Airways passenger who arrived in Nairobi on a flight
from Guangzhou displayed coronavirus symptoms. The patient was
immediately quarantined at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi
· An estimated one million Chinese workers had visited Africa
in the last ten years or so. Also, countries like Mauritius, has high
Chinese immigrant population, which receive a large number of Chinese
people who are either visiting their relatives or as tourists.
A Kenya Airways passenger who arrived in Nairobi on a flight from
Guangzhou displayed coronavirus symptoms. The patient was immediately
quarantined at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi. Though the case
of coronavirus has still to be confirmed, Afircan governments are very
vigilant about the spread of the epidemics. Of late, there is
relatively high traffic movement between African countries and China
on both ways on account of the many Chinese projects being implemented
in Africa. Also, a number of African business men and students visit
China for business and studies.
On an average, there are 8 direct flights between Chinese towns and
African countries, which operate on a daily basis. Added to that is
the several connecting flights in operation paving the way for
several hundred passengers visiting either regions every day.
Ethiopia is also screening people travelled between the two countries
in the wake of four confirmed cases of coronavirus. The suspected
people are quarantined and under strict monitoring. Among them,
three are students from universities in the Wuhan area. Fever testing
enclosures are there at the Bole International Airport and two
hospitals in Addis Ababa are equipped to test the virus and quarantine
facilities to treat the potential virus affected people.
An estimated one million Chinese workers had visited Africa in the
last ten years or so. Also, countries like Mauritius, has high Chinese
immigrant population, which receive a large number of Chinese people
who are either visiting their relatives or as tourists. Some of the
immigrant population are on a visit to China during the lunar New Year
festivities in mainland China. They will start returning to their
homeland any time from now. That also enhances the need for strict
vigil among the African countries, particularly where Chinese workers
and others are concentrated. Also, the high incubation period of the
virus ranging from 7to 14 days for the disease to show symptoms is
another challenge for the authorities.
