U.S. sends seven Americans from Congo to Laikipia Ebola facility

Seven American aid workers who had been deployed to help contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been moved to a U.S.-backed bio-isolation facility at Laikipia Air Base.

The group employed by the Christian humanitarian organization Samaritan’s Purse is currently undergoing a mandatory 21-day quarantine in Kenya.

The quarantine follows new U.S. travel restrictions requiring Americans returning from Ebola-affected nations to spend three weeks in a separate country before re-entering the U.S.

The latest development comes barely a month after the High Court ordered President William Ruto’s administration to halt the construction of the Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base.

The court issued the suspension after civil society groups challenged the project, arguing that it had been developed without public participation or proper health and safety safeguards.

Despite the court orders, work at the facility has reportedly continued, with U.S. officials and satellite imagery indicating ongoing preparatory works at the military base.

Samaritan’s Purse’s Chief Executive Officer, Franklin Graham, confirmed that the seven Americans had arrived at the facility, saying none of them had shown any symptoms of Ebola.

“Samaritan’s Purse has seven American Disaster Assistance Response Team staff members there,” Graham told Reuters.

“None of them has any symptoms, but they are being quarantined by the Kenyan government for 21 days,” he added.

A U.S. State Department official confirmed the reports, saying the Americans had voluntarily relocated to the Laikipia facility as a precaution after serving on the front lines of the Ebola response in DRC.

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The official said the Kenyan government officials authorised their admission to the facility, where they are being monitored by clinicians from the U.S. Public Health Service.

According to the State Department, the quarantine was undertaken strictly out of an immense amount of caution and not because the aid workers had been confirmed to be infected with the virus.

Sources privy to the matter noted that while some members of the group had worked directly as medics treating Ebola patients, others had performed support duties, including construction work, without direct contact with infected individuals.

One source said there was only one potential high-risk exposure within the group, adding that the Kenyan government had restricted the Americans from leaving the facility during the quarantine period.

Last month, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale announced an immediate halt to the construction of the facility after being found in contempt of court for failing to comply with earlier orders suspending work on the project.

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