Somalia quarantines passenger from China on suspicion of corona virus

A passenger who travelled from China via Ethiopia to Somalia was Tuesday quarantined at a special facility at Aden Adde Airport in Mogadishu following suspicion of the novel corona virus. The quarantine is the first in the Horn of Africa nation.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement the passenger who has not been identified was isolated and quarantined but did not indicate if the said passenger had any signs of the viral disease which has spread to most parts of the world.

According to the minister, the passenger, a Somali national was from Liaoning in China and had passed by Ethiopia but it is not clear how long he or she stayed in Ethiopia.

Tuesday’s case is the first incident of isolation and quarantine in Somalia since the corona outbreak in China early this year.

Sports Minister Khadija Mohamed declined to be tested upon arrival from Egypt last month even as the northern Africa country had reported a case of the corona virus. She later defended herself noting there was no need for the test since the virus had not been reported in Somalia.

So far four countries in Africa-Egypt, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Senegal have reported cases of corona virus amid worries most African countries may not have the capacity to deal with the disease which has since caused global panic.

The Ministry also directed relevant government departments to take action against airlines that violate the health regulations and asked the public to remain vigilant but not panic.