Coronavirus Scare: Customers Flee Posh Kenyan Restaurant After 'Sickly-Looking' Chinese Man Arrives

Customers at a high-end restaurant in Naivasha on Tuesday abandoned their food and hurriedly fled the restaurant after a ‘sickly-looking’ man, believed to be a Chinese national, arrived and ordered a meal.

Eyewitnesses said it was business as usual at the restaurant that is frequented by foreigners until the Chinese man made his way in and ordered food. Diners feared that the man may have been infected with coronavirus that has so far killed more than 1,000 people in China, according to K24 Digital.

Joel Wahome, an eyewitness, said area residents have been wary of foreign visitors, especially Chinese nationals, since the outbreak of the deadly disease. He said there are many Chinese nationals working in various projects in the area, including geothermal drilling and Standard Gauge Railway.

“The foreigner was definitely sick and due to fear of the coronavirus, people fled from the hotel before he also left,” said Wahome.

Nakuru County department of health said it activated its disease surveillance team following the incident. Nakuru Health Chief Officer Samuel King’ori said they were not taking chances since the outbreak was reported in China.

“Our officers had been informed of an ailing foreigner but on arriving in the hotel he had already left and no one had his personal details,” said King’ori.

He added: “We shall conduct a three-day training workshop for select health workers in the country in the wake of the outbreak in China.”