Chinese Embassy denies claim of mishandling passengers from Wuhan

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The Chinese Embassy in Kenya has refuted claims of reports that 2 suspected ill passengers onboard a China Southern Airlines flight from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus to Nairobi were not screened at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport upon arrival.

The Embassy was responding to a tweet by blogger Robert Alai who raised the issue of poor handling of the suspected ill passengers. "China Southern Airline landed at JKIA this morning with two ill passengers. KAA staff surprised how they were handled," he twitted.

The Chinese Embassy responded by saying that all passengers had been screened. "A senior official at the Ministry of Health has confirmed to the Embassy that all passengers by China Southern Airlines arriving at JKIA today were screened and cleared. According to Kenyan authorities, a team formed by the airport, hospital, Ministry of Health, Disease Prevent and Control will implement screen and surveillance procedures for the concerned flights. Any suspected cases will be sent to the nearest health facilities through ambulance." read the statement.

The latest numbers just released, on the coronavirus toll in China continue to reveal a grim and worsening epidemic. The total number of cases reported globally are 24,324 while total deaths stand at 490.

Last week Kenya Airways temporarily suspended flights from Guangzhou,China to Nairobi whilst maintaining normal operations for the Bangkok and Nairobi route.

The country has experienced a scare of 3 cases of suspected coronavirus which the Ministry of Health has reported as been negative.