Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has signed a directive to fight the coronavirus in his country. The statement issued by the Presidency of the Republic announces the formation of a task force composed of 21 members that in a week will have to establish certain rules for the control, quarantine, isolation or repatriation of suspected cases or people from places where the virus is expanding.
The anti-Coronavirus plan also provides for the completion of the isolation centre at Mbagathi Hospital in Nairobi within a week.
"Kenya is a major international transport hub, with 70% of international passengers in transit, and there is a significant threat from the spread of the coronavirus in Kenya from countries that have new and continuing outbreaks of lung disease," said the Head of State in his 2020 Executive Order No. 2.
The President also ordered that the identification and preparation of isolation and treatment facilities in all Level 5 and reference hospitals throughout the country be completed by March 15, 2020.
The Task Force, led by Health Minister Sicily Kariuki, includes colleagues from Defence, Transport, Foreign Affairs and Communications, as well as Directors General of Civil Aviation, Airport Authorities and Immigration.
In the meantime, the Nairobi High Court has decided to re-suspend flights from China and in particular those of China Southern Airlines, which after a ten-day blockade this week had resumed taking off from Guangzhou for Nairobi.
Judge James Makau suspended flights for 10 days and ordered the State to prepare an "emergency plan on coronavirus prevention, surveillance and response".