U.S. plans Kenya facility for Ebola quarantine of exposed Americans

The Trump administration is building a facility in Kenya to quarantine Americans exposed to the Ebola virus during an outbreak in Africa. Dr. Craig Spencer, an emergency physician and professor of public health at Brown University who survived Ebola in 2014, said the facility and its quarantine requirements could deter volunteers.

"It could lead potential volunteers to stay home, with the knowledge that they may not be able to be let back into the country if they're infected," Spencer told Semafor. Spencer noted that infectious disease doctors and nurses already face difficulty taking six to eight weeks off work.

"It's going to be that much harder if you have to beg your boss for eight weeks, and then in addition, you need to spend three weeks afterwards quarantining someplace like Europe or Kenya, because the U.S. won't allow you back in," he said. Spencer added that asymptomatic individuals do not transmit the disease.

Local response and government position The plan has faced local protests and legal challenges in Kenya. A Kenyan court ordered the suspension of the project after a lawsuit raised constitutional concerns. Construction has continued despite the order.

An official said the U.S. government is working with the Government of Kenya and other partners to plan the facility. "Kenya was selected due to proximity, airports in the region having limited capability, and to ensure Americans can be evaluated and receive assistance in a timely [manner]," the official added.

A HHS spokesperson said the administration has identified tertiary facilities with the necessary expertise and ability to provide full-service, high-level care to Americans at the Kenya site who onsite clinicians feel require evacuation.