Seven American aid workers from the Samaritan’s Purse charity are being quarantined at a U.S.-backed Ebola isolation facility in Kenya. The workers, part of a 72-member Disaster Assistance Response Team deployed to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, are asymptomatic and undergoing a standard 21-day isolation period. None have tested positive for Ebola, according to the organization.
The quarantine follows the Trump administration’s decision to bar Americans from returning from Congo to the U.S. without spending 21 days in a third country. The move came after a Samaritan’s Purse worker in Congo tested positive for Ebola. The State Department confirmed the Americans voluntarily moved to the Kenyan facility for precautionary monitoring.
The facility, run by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is located at Laikipia Air Base in Laikipia County. The workers are housed in military tents and receive food provided by the U.S. military. Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, confirmed the workers’ status in a statement, emphasizing their role in combating Ebola.
As of the latest reports, the Ebola outbreak in Congo has resulted in 2,124 confirmed cases and 828 deaths, with cases spreading to two new provinces. Kenyan authorities cleared the transportation of the Americans to the facility, and the State Department stated its priority is the safety and security of Americans.