Chinese Man Isolates Himself from His Kenya Family over Coronavirus Fears

A Chinese man who recently returned to Kenya from China has isolated himself in his home in Nakuru after suspecting he had contracted coronavirus (COVID-19).

Nakuru County Health CEC Dr. Gichuki Kariuki on Wednesday said they received information about the incident from the foreigner’s neighbors.

He said health officers visited the man’s house on Tuesday and collected samples for testing for the dreaded virus that has killed more than 2,000 people, most of them in China.

Kariuki indicated that all the tests were negative but the Chinese man will remain in isolation for 14 days even as he urged residents to remain calm.

“We went to his house with our suits and a thermal gun, all the tests were negative, we will, however, keep monitoring him,” Kariuki said, adding that medics from the county will be making frequent visits to the house to monitor his condition.

The Chinese man, who is married to a Kenyan woman, arrived in Nairobi on February 10th on a direct flight from China. He is said to have quarantined himself immediately he arrived home to avoid contact with his family.

Another Chinese national is currently under isolation at the Mutomo hospital in Kitui after he became ill shortly after arriving in Kenya from China. He was among 18 other Chinese nationals who came to the country over the weekend for work at a road construction company.

China’s National Health Commission (NHC) on Tuesday announced that 136 more people succumbed to the virus in mainland China. This brought the total death toll in mainland China to 2,004, and 2,009 globally. 

Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and France have each recorded one death.