Somali man quarantined in Mogadishu after trip from Coronavirus-infested China

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A middle-aged man has been held in solitary confinement in Somalia after a trip from China, authorities said on Tuesday, amid an escalating outbreak of Coronavirus.

Without disclosing the name of the person, the ministry of health said the man had been quarantined in Mogadishu, as part of the regulations to observe him within a specific period.

The man, the health department said, traveled from the Chinese province of Liaoning via Ethiopian Airlines before connecting to Mogadishu through Addis Ababa.

Somalia is yet to ban aircraft operating from the Coronavirus-hit China, although specific measures have been put in place for readiness to tackle the pandemic should it arise, officials said.

"We have held the man in solitary confinement to ascertain his current status," the health department said. "There is no indication that he's infested but we shall carry out more tests."

A special clinic to deal with testing of the disease has been set up at Aden Adde International Airport, where the man underwent sophisticated tests, authorities added.

The Covid19 virus emanated from China and has since killed over 3,000 people. Also, over 100,000 people have been infested worldwide, forcing the World Health Organization to declare an emergency.

At first, the virus was recorded in Wuhan city in China, before spreading first across Asia and Europe. By Tuesday, Italy, the most affected European nation, had recorded over 400 deaths. It's closely followed by Iran at 300.

So devastating has been the outbreak that it has had a wrecking impact on the economy. Many countries have banned flights with other prohibiting social gatherings as precautionary measures.

The worst-hit sectors remain tourism, trade, and transport, leading to the loss of millions of dollars. The US has also recorded a few deaths, besides sharp diminishing of Wall Street trading, Associated Press reported.

Last month, Somalia youth minister Khadija Mohamed Diriye was castigated by social media users after she snubbed mandatory screening at Mogadishu airport. A video of her rejecting screening went viral on social media.

However, in an interview, she defended her retrogressive actions saying "we are yet to record any instance and I didn't see the reason for going through the process". She had traveled from Cairo.

In Africa, cases of Coronavirus have been reported in Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria. But even more shocking, Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon and DR. Congo have become the latest countries from Sub Saharan Africa to record positive cases.

In East Africa, no positive case has been recorded. Kenya banned all flights from China following a court order which was issued after 239 people sneaked into the country via China Southern airline last month.

Some reports also indicate that dozens of Somali students are stranded in the epicenter of the virus, Wuhan city, and are yet to be evacuated to safer regions.

“Somali students stranded in Wuhan, China, have told me that their fellow students from Sudan, Iraq, and Yemen have been flown out," said Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame, the leader of Wadajir party.

"We know the Somali government does not have the capability to evacuate those students nor quarantine centers to keep them, but it can send appeals to Arab countries,” he added on his Facebook page.

Somalia has dozens of airports but most international arrivals and departures take place at Aden Adde airport, which is located within the capital, Mogadishu.

GAROWE ONLINE