Seven American aid workers who were involved in the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been placed under a 21-day quarantine at a bio-isolation facility in Kenya following new United States travel restrictions.
The workers, who are employed by Christian humanitarian organisation Samaritan’s Purse, arrived at the facility after Washington introduced a policy requiring US citizens returning from countries affected by Ebola outbreaks to spend three weeks in a third country before entering the United States.
Samaritan’s Purse president and chief executive officer Franklin Graham confirmed that the seven workers were being monitored at the facility but had shown no symptoms of the virus.
“Samaritan’s Purse has seven American Disaster Assistance Response Team staff members there,” Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, told Reuters in response to Reuters’ questions.
“None of them have any symptoms, but they are being quarantined by the Kenyan government for 21 days,” Graham said.
A US State Department official said the group had voluntarily moved to the Kenyan facility for precautionary monitoring after working on the frontline of the Ebola response.
“Kenyan authorities have authorised their movement into the facility under the observation of the US Public Health Service clinicians,” the official said, adding that the decision was taken “strictly out of an abundance of caution.”
The bio-isolation unit, constructed by the US government at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, Kenya, was designed to accommodate Americans exposed to Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The facility, however, has faced opposition in Kenya, with critics raising concerns over the country becoming a holding ground for foreign Ebola cases. The dispute has also moved to court, with a judge ordering activities at the site to be suspended pending a final decision.
Last month, construction of the facility was ordered to stop after Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale was found guilty of contempt of court for failing to comply with suspension orders issued by a local court. Despite the legal challenge, reports indicate that work at the site has continued.
A source familiar with the matter said the seven workers arrived at the facility on Monday and were being accommodated in tents with army cots. The source added that some had worked as medical personnel treating Ebola patients, while others had supported operations in roles such as construction.
The source said one of the workers had a potential high-risk exposure, although all seven were asymptomatic and their health was being monitored.
Kenyan authorities have not issued a public statement on the arrival of the aid workers at the facility, while a senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they had no information regarding the matter.
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