Connect with us

International

Mozambique suspends visa upon arrival to travelers from China

Published

on

Mozambique suspends visa upon arrival to travelers from China

The government of Mozambique has with immediate effect suspended the issuance of visas upon arrival to travelers from China, in order to curb the spread of the deadly MERS & SARS-like disease known as coronavirus.

According to reports, the decision to immediately suspend issuing visas upon arrival to passengers from China was taken by cabinet on Wednesday with the Minister of Justice Helena Kida stating that the measure was temporary.

The move comes after scores of Mozambican students studying in China requested to be evacuated from the country until the outbreak of the deadly virus is completely controlled, but it is also unclear whether the government will allow the students back in the country.

There have also been several suspected coronavirus cases reported in Kenya, Ethiopia and Ivory Coast.

Kenya’s ambassador to China has said the government has no plan to evacuate citizens in China’s city of Wuhan – the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.

READ ALSO: UAE records 1st case of coronavirus as China death toll reaches 132

“The option for evacuation should not be an immediate concern for now,” Sarah Serem, who is back in Kenya, told a local TV station.

Health authorities in Kenya are currently investigating a possible case of a student from China with symptoms similar to those of the disease.

Reports say the student who is suspected to be the first case in Kenya and the second in Africa was quarantined immediately at the national referral hospital in the capital, Nairobi, after the symptoms were noticed.

The hospital’s Communication Manager Hezekiel Gikambi has told the BBC that the patient had arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport early Tuesday morning on a Kenya Airways flight from Guangzhou, China, and was rushed to the hospital.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now