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Where is Ireland? Kenyans ask after being added to quarantine list


Kenya has been added to a list of states in whose travellers will have to undergo a mandatory hotel quarantine in Ireland.

According to the latest advisory, Kenya is placed in “Category 2” and travellers who have been to Kenya in the last 14 days are required to quarantine at a designated facility on arrival in Ireland.

However, Kenyans on social media had only one question: Where is Ireland?

Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic, which is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George’s Channel.

Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth.

According to the Irish government, the measure will come into effect from Thursday 04:00 local time.

“From 4am on 15 April, passengers arriving in Ireland from Kenya must have pre-booked mandatory hotel quarantine before travel,” the embassy of Ireland in Kenya said on Twitter.

The new rules affect any passenger who was in one of the designated “high-risk” countries in the past 14 days, including those getting a connecting flight.

Ireland has a portal for mandatory hotel quarantine bookings with pre-booking required.

The Tifco Hotel Group is responsible for transporting passengers from their arrival point to the quarantine hotels, and security.

The Irish Defence Forces will oversee the process and escort the buses to the hotels.

The cost of a 12-night stay is Sh240,000 (£1,614) for one person, Sh78,000 (£535) for another adult (or child aged over 12) sharing the room, Sh45,000 (£308) for a child aged 4 to 12, with no charge for infants.

Here is how Kenyans reacted to the news.