320 British Soldiers in Kenya Placed Under Isolation After Four Test Positive for COVID-19

More than 300 soldiers at the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) have been placed under isolation over COVID-19 fears.

The Mirror reports that a total of 320 British troops in Nanyuki under Exercise Askari Storm camp were isolated after four military personnel tested positive for COVID-19.

There are fears that the four, who arrived in the country last week for training, may have brought the new COVID-19 strain into the country.

As a safety measure, hundreds of locals working in the barracks, including cooks, were barred from accessing the facility, forcing more than 1,000 troops to survive on food rations.

Over 160 soldiers are now living in tents to enforce social distancing at the training site, according to The Sun.

“The camp at BATUK has been placed into enhanced isolation in line with the Ministry of Defense’s Force Health Protection (FHP) measures,” The Sun quoted a military source.

“The British Army takes the health and wellbeing of our personnel and the local communities in Kenya very seriously.”

BATUK is the largest British military base in Africa with an estimated 1,600 troops in total.

In March last year, hundreds of British troops were flown to the UK following the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country in a move aimed at protecting them and their families from the disease.  

British soldiers train at the Loldaiga Hills, which is an ideal location due to tough terrains, erratic weather patterns, and a hot environment.