Nairobi Couple Allowed to Go Home Despite Testing Positive for Coronavirus

A Nairobi couple who recently tested positive for coronavirus has reportedly been allowed to self-quarantine at their home.

The two are among the three people who received positive results on Wednesday, pushing the total number of infections in the country to seven.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the couple arrived in the country on March 5th from Madrid, Spain. The third patient is a Burundian national who came back on Tuesday from Dubai.

The couple was authorized to self-isolate for 14 days at their home in the upmarket Kitisuru estate and will be tested after the period to confirm whether they have recovered, The Star reports.

Speaking to the publication, an official from the Health Ministry disclosed that the couple was allowed to go to their home after proving they have the capacity to self-isolate at their house in Nairobi.

On Wednesday, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said isolation in a hospital was not mandatory.

"There is no reason to put you in a hospital when you have a severely bad cold. We can only take you there if you do not have the environment in which you can self-quarantine," said Kagwe.

The couple's family has four other people, who all tested negative.

The wife was the first to be diagnosed with Covid-19 at the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi while the husband tested positive a day later after the first test returned negative.