Coronavirus: Kenya president forms task force after China flight ban

A Kenyan court on Friday issued an order banning flights to and from China over the coronavirus. The court also ordered the government to start robust measures to prepare for the virus.

The order followed uproar on Wednesday when a China Southern flight landed in Nairobi with 239 people on board. The country’s flag carrier - Kenya Airways, has suspended flights on its Nairobi-Guangzhou route since late January.

Following the court’s directives, President Uhuru Kenyatta signed an executive order establishing a coronavirus task force. He also ordered an isolation facility to be built in seven days.

Kenya’s orders followed the confirmation of the disease in Nigeria, the first time it’s been reported in sub-Saharan Africa.