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Seven American aid workers who had been in Congo to fight the Ebola outbreak are quarantining at a new isolation facility in Kenya, according to the head of the US charity employing them and a US State Department official. The move comes after the US government introduced travel restrictions for American citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The aid workers are the first known people to quarantine at the facility, which has sparked opposition in Kenya and is at the centre of a legal case, with a court ordering work to be suspended. Construction nonetheless continued, according to US officials and satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters.

Coverage comparison

Both The Guardian and the Jerusalem Post reported the same core facts: seven American aid workers quarantining at a new isolation facility in Kenya, the US travel restrictions requiring a three-week stay in a third country for citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the facility's contested status. The two outlets also noted that construction continued despite a court order to suspend work. The Jerusalem Post additionally reported that there is no proven treatment for or vaccine against the rare Bundibugyo species of the virus, and described a demonstrator holding a Kenyan flag during a protest against the plan.

The Guardian's coverage highlights the opposition to the facility and frames the travel restrictions as the reason for the quarantine. The Jerusalem Post's framing is similar, with an emphasis on the legal case and the health risks involved. Neither outlet provided a statement from Kenyan officials in the material reviewed.

Key claims

  • Seven American aid workers are quarantining at a new isolation facility in Kenya after the US government introduced travel restrictions for American citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • Washington's policy requires American citizens returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there is an Ebola outbreak, to spend three weeks in a third country before entering the United States.
  • The US government is building a 50-bed bio-isolation unit on an air force base in central Kenya for asymptomatic Americans exposed to the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo or Uganda.
  • The facility has sparked opposition in Kenya and is at the heart of a legal case; a court ordered the work to be suspended, but construction continued, according to US officials and satellite imagery.
  • Last month, Kenya's health minister announced an immediate halt to construction after being found in contempt of court for failing to observe the order to halt work pending a final ruling.
  • Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, said seven members of its Disaster Assistance Response Team are at the facility, none showing symptoms, and they are being quarantined by the Kenyan government for 21 days.
  • A US State Department official said a group of asymptomatic Americans who served on the front lines of the Ebola response had "voluntarily moved to the Kenya facility for precautionary monitoring and isolation," adding that "Kenyan authorities have authorized their movement into the facility under the observation of the US public health service clinicians."
  • The Jerusalem Post reported that there is no proven treatment for or vaccine against the rare Bundibugyo species of the virus.
  • The Jerusalem Post also reported that a demonstrator held a Kenyan flag during a protest against a US-backed Ebola quarantine plan.

Perspectives

US officials

A US State Department official said the group of asymptomatic Americans had voluntarily moved to the facility for precautionary monitoring and isolation, and that Kenyan authorities had authorized their movement under the observation of US public health service clinicians.

Samaritan's Purse

Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, confirmed that seven staff members are at the facility, showed no symptoms, and are being quarantined by the Kenyan government for 21 days. He expressed a desire that Americans who catch Ebola benefit from treatment in Kenya.

Kenyan public and legal opposition

The facility has sparked opposition in Kenya, with many Kenyans angered at what they see as the US offloading the health risk that such patients pose. The facility is at the heart of a legal case, and last month Kenya's health minister was found in contempt of court for failing to observe an order to halt construction.