KQ sends back home 4 foreigners who were denied entry into Sierra Leone
Kenya Airways on Thursday said they had sent back home four foreigners who were denied entry at Sierra Leone’s Lungi International Airport on Wednesday over suspected coronavirus cases after landing.
The flight to Freetown, whose first leg had seen it first land in Liberia before it transited to Sierra Leone, is where the suspected case first emanated from.
In a statement on Thursday, KQ clarified that the four passengers, who were in flight KQ 502 from Nairobi to Sierra Leone, had travelled from Amsterdam via Nairobi.
They said they screened them and were cleared to travel to their final destination, Freetown but immigration authorities in Sierra Leone directed that they be returned to their port of entry.
“On arrival in Nairobi, further screening was conducted by the Port Health authorities at JKIA where they were cleared to travel. The guests will be put on their onward flight to their home country,” the statement read.
KQ assured passengers that the airline is working closely with the national health authorities in implementing strict hygiene measures to guarantee the safety of the passengers.
On Wednesday a statement from the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority said a KQ station manager had alerted authorities of the suspected virus case when the plane landed in Liberia.
One of the four Japanese passengers on board was reported to be displaying symptoms of the viral infection.
Sources said the plane spent some time in the air after its landing was delayed to allow Sierra Leonean authorities prepare for appropriate action.
However, when it eventually landed, some of the passengers refused to be quarantined.
A Ministry of Health official said the Japanese passengers did not disembark.