Thirteen Chinese nationals who tried entering Kenya though Tanzania by road were turned away after it was established that they had not met the required 14-day self-quarantine for coronavirus in the country of origin.
The 13 Chinese were among 16 foreigners who sought entering Kenya at the Lunga Lunga border in Kwale County.
According to Citizen Digital, the thirteen Chinese nationals and three other foreigners who were accompanied by three Tanzania drivers – Saidi Seif Mapunda, Hassan Mohammed Makolo and Wema Ramadhani Muambeya – had arrived in Tanzania between March 4 and March 16 meaning they did not meet the set 14 days for self-quarantine.
Asked what operations they had in Kenya, they said that they had a special assignment at Bamburi Cement plant in Mombasa.
They were escorted back to Horohoro which is Tanzania’s point of entry from Kenya.
This comes barely days after two Italians were turned away at the Moi International Airport.
Kenyan authorities said that the two Italians, Marbeillo Fransisco and Marbiello Maurice who were travelling on tourist visas exhibited coronavirus-like symptoms which informed their grounding.
Mombasa County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo in response to the matter confirmed that the Italians were turned back.
“Yes, the two were denied entry after it emerged that they came from Italy. They were later deported to Addis Ababa,” he stated as quoted by the Standard.
Forty-two other passengers who were on the plane were asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. Though he did not disclose their nationalities, Kitiyo said that they are under close monitoring by a team of Kenyan doctors.
“The other passengers did not show any symptoms of the virus but we had to advise them to self-quarantine,” he added.
