NAIROBI, Kenya-The Ministry of Health has suspended meetings, conferences and seminars held in hotels for staff in the State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards, saying technical officers are needed for Kenya’s Ebola response.
The measure is intended to keep staff available for emergency preparedness, contact tracing and other response operations, according to a public clarification issued by the ministry.
Officials said it would also support the implementation of standard operating procedures for preventing and managing Ebola and other highly contagious infectious diseases.
The restriction applies only to State Department staff. The ministry said it should not be taken as a blanket suspension of government meetings, conferences or seminars in hotels.
Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease on October 6.
The patient, a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo, died after arriving in Nairobi.
The Health Ministry said it had intensified contact tracing and preparedness measures following the confirmation.
The ministry’s clarification comes as it focuses its technical staff on containing the risk of further transmission.
Contact tracing and emergency response are among the activities named in the statement as priorities.
The temporary measure is an internal administrative decision by the State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards.
It does not direct other government departments to cancel or suspend hotel-based events.
