State on the spot over travellers from China

The government is on the spot after 239 passengers on a plane from China were cleared to enter the country and asked to self-quarantine as a precaution against coronavirus.

The arrival of the China Southern Airlines plane raises fears that one of the passengers could have the infectious disease, which has killed thousands so far.

China has been the epicentre of the virus, which has infected 81,291 people globally and killed 2,770, most of them in the Asian nation.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019, which has been officially named Covid-19, is most often spread from person to person.

Government Spokesperson Cyrus Oguna, however, said there was no cause for alarm "because all precautionary measures are in place and everybody who comes into the country is screened adequately."

People screened

"Those people coming from China have been screened. Nobody gets on a plane without screening to ensure they are not at risk," said Oguna.

He stated that stringent measures have been put in place at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, including mandatory screening.

"This is to ensure that everybody is safe. Those who leave the airport are expected to self-quarantine. These are precautionary measures to ensure that nobody is put at risk of infection," he said.

What is puzzling many is that the government has maintained that the Kenyan students stuck in Wuhan town will not be evacuated because they are better off in China.

Despite the families of the 91 students pleading with the State to bring back their children, government officials stuck to their guns and said they would send them Sh1.3 million for daily upkeep.

By Monday, Kenya had investigated 15 suspected cases of Covid-19 with all tests coming back negative.