Americans have been cautioned against travelling to Kenya due to "a high prevalence of Covid-19 cases " even as the United States reported more than 200,000 new infections yesterday.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday assigned Kenya a Level 4 alert meaning there is a very high level of coronavirus infection.
CDC uses cumulative new cases over the past 28 days or hospitalisation rates and cumulative testing positivity rate as the criteria to determine the prevalence of the virus in the different countries.
“Travelers should avoid all travel to Kenya. If you must travel, talk to your doctor ahead of travel, especially if you are at increased risk for severe illness from Covid-19,” CDC said in its latest advisory alert.
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US citizens who must travel were advised to get tested between 1–3 days before their trip, to always wear a mask during travel, stay at least 6 feet from people who are not traveling with them, wash hands often or use hand sanitizer, and watch their health for signs of illness.
Before traveling back to the United States, they were told to get tested with a viral test 1–3 days before travel.
“If you had a known exposure to Covid-19 while traveling, delay travel, quarantine from other people, get tested, and monitor your health,” CDC said.
Kenya is among other East Africa countries, including Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi that have been allocated Level 4 alert.
Rwanda has a level 1 alert meaning low level of the virus in the country.
The CDC said travel to these countries could expose the Americans to the risk of contracting Covid-19 that has killed thousands.
It warned, such trips should be avoided and in case one is infected he/she should follow Covid-19 health protocols.
“If you get sick with Covid-19 or test positive for the virus that causes Covid-19 while abroad, you might not be permitted to return to the United States until you can end isolation,” it added.
As of yesterday, Kenya had recorded 85,130 positive cases in the country since March when the first case was reported.
Additionally, the virus has claimed 1,484 lives since the outbreak.
The United States has reported more than 13.9 million coronavirus cases and 272,000 fatalities since February.
