Coronavirus: Kenya shuts schools as new cases confirmed

NAIROBI, Kenya 

Kenya announced to close schools nationwide on Sunday after two fresh cases of coronavirus were confirmed, taking the tally to three in the country.

President Uhuru Kenyatta in a televised address said: “We have suspended learning in all our educational institutions with immediate effect.”

"For those in boarding schools, the school administration is to ensure that students are home by Wednesday,” he added.

Kenya confirmed its first case on Friday. The patient is a woman who recently traveled to the U.S. via London.

Kenya also banned entry of travelers from any virus-hit country.

The president encouraged employers to allow staff to work from home.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 141 countries and territories.

The global death toll from the virus has surpassed 5,700, with more than 152,000 cases confirmed worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

However, a vast majority of those who get infected recover from the illness.