Malawi quarantines 6 from China over coronavirus scare

Government says six people who arrived from China in the past weeks have been quarantined in their homes as a preventive measured on coronavirus which has killed 1500 people so far outside Africa.

Ministry of Health principal secretary Dan Namarika said the six have been quarantined in their own homes because the government has no quarantine facilities as well as financial resources to rent buildings for such an exercise.

However, this has raised serious questions on the country’s preparedness to handle such a highly contagious disease which on Friday has been detected in Egypt, the first African country to have the disease.

“But we are doing all the precautionary measures successfully. We have been screening all those coming from China since January,” he said.

He said those who are quarantined are constantly monitored, their temperatures taken to find out if they are showing any signs of the disease.

He said so far, none has shown signs of the disease.