A Kenyan couple from the US, currently in France is yet to understand the puzzle in their COVID-19 ordeal.
The couple, only identifying as Brian and Mary said that they tested negative in the US before traveling to France en route to Kenya but would later test positive while in France just as they were connecting to Kenya in what has now turned out to be a quarantine nightmare.
In their narration to Diaspora Messenger, they said that they were en route to Kenya to attend their sister’s funeral. Sadly, they had to be quarantined before being allowed to fly out of France.
They had traveled from Georgia, US to Paris on August 11 and arrived on August 12. They went straight to the boarding area of Air France in their quest to fly to Kenya but were intercepted by French officials at the airport.
“When we got to the gate, they told us that the negative Covid-19 results which we had received on Monday August 10, was done too early because the Kenyan Government had passed a directive that one can only enter the country if the test is done within 72 hours which meant that since we were arriving on Thursday the 13th at 8.00 pm Kenyan time, it will be too late and the certificate will have expired,” the couple narrated.
Left with no choice, they took a second COVID-19 test in Paris which returned positive results for both of them.
They were given temporary 14 days’ French visas to quarantine in a hotel before they are cleared to proceed with their journey to Kenya.
The couple remarked that besides missing their sister’s funeral, they have had to incur extra cost in quarantine, something that they had not included in their budget.
According to guidelines set by the Ministry of Health for inbound passengers, they must be tested 72 hours before travel and produce a certificate to this effect.
Once certified, they are exempted from the mandatory 14-day quarantine in Kenya.
