Kenyans Stranded in India over Covid-19 Crisis Arrive Home

Hundreds of Kenyans stranded in India over the Covid-19 pandemic arrived back home on Thursday.

Then Asian country is fighting a devastating second wave of outbreak that started in February and accelerated in April and early May, which overwhelmed the country’s health-care infrastructure.

On Thursday, the second-most populous country in the world recorded 6,148 daily Covid deaths, the highest ever in the world.

A Kenya Airways flight carrying the passengers touched down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 11am Thursday.

The travellers were required to produce a Covid-19 negative test conducted four days prior to their travel and thereafter underwent a rapid test in compliance with Ministry of Health directives.

After undergoing screening at the airport in line with the Ministry of Health protocols, most of the travellers were allowed to self-quarantine for the next 14 days.

Those who remained in India are expected in the country on June 15.

This was confirmed by Dr Willis Akhwale, the chairman of the Covid-19 Vaccine Taskforce

“We ensured that they underwent vigorous rapid tests when they arrived and samples taken for genome sequencing. The results will be ready in the next few days when they will still be quarantining,” Dr Akhwale told Nation.

Dr Akhwale recently said that only travellers with a negative PCR test taken within 96 hours would be allowed to go home.

“When they arrive, we will check on their documents and conduct a rapid test on arrival to ensure that those who contracted the virus while on transit are detected and isolated,” he said.

“If the test turns negative, they will have to self-quarantine for 14 days at their homes, but should it turn positive, they will have to undergo mandatory quarantine in 10 selected isolation centres in the country at their cost.”

Private isolation facilities approved by the government include Hilton Garden Inn at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at Sh13,000 a night, Waridi Paradise Hotel and Suites and Royal Tulip Hotel (Chaka Road) at Sh10,000, Ngong Hills Hotel on Ngong road at Sh9,000, and Swiss Lenana Mount Hotel at Sh8,500.

Others are Mombasa Beach Hotel charges Sh9,000 a night, Reef Hotel (Mombasa) Sh8,000 and Ufungamano Guest House (Nairobi), the Strand Leisure Hotel (Nairobi West) and Covent Int. Hotel (Nairobi) charge Sh7, 000 a night.

A majority of Kenyans who travel to India are mainly students, traders and patients seeking specialised treatment.