NTV Coronavirus Scare Attracts Backlash

File image of a Kenya Airways plane
A photo of a Kenya Airways plane.
Photo/Kenya Airways

NTV's story on Tuesday, March 3, informing the public that some flights had been cancelled due to a coronavirus scare captured the attention of Kenya Airways which explained that it was false. 

In a statement released by the national carrier, it clarified that it did not have flights to the countries which they were alleged to have cancelled.

"We would like to clarify that we do not operate flights to Iran and Bahrain as has been reported by NTV. We also wish to confirm that all our flights to Dubai remain operational," the statement on Kenya Airways' social media platforms read.

A screenshot of Kenya Airways' dismissal of the NTV story.
A screenshot of Kenya Airways' dismissal of the NTV story.
Twitter

NTV, on Tuesday, March 3, announced that the national carrier had cancelled flights to and from Iran and Bahrain as a part of a measure to control the spread of coronavirus.

The media house had also claimed that flights to Dubai had been affected, given the rise in the number of countries recording new cases of the virus.

The report caused confusion amongst Kenyans, many of whom bought into the story that the flights had indeed been cancelled.

The government has taken a series of measures aimed at preventing the Coronavirus disease from getting into the country.

Among some of the measures include the suspension of all flights coming in from China and a heightened surveillance system at all points of entry, health facilities, and communities across the country.

The government also announced that it had vouched for an improved diagnostics capacity at the laboratory of the National Influenza Centre and the Kenya Medical Research Institute.

It also announced that it was training health workers on prevention of the virus, early detection and management of suspected or confirmed cases.

A tourist is screened for Coronavirus at the Port of Mombasa on February 13, 2020
A tourist is screened for Coronavirus at the Port of Mombasa on February 13, 2020
Daily Nation
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