They will be visited daily by health officials to make sure they are abiding by the restrictions.

Health Minister Jane Aceng said that this would enable them to have access to food.

“It also teaches you to be responsible because you have family, friends and in-laws living with you, so if you’re careless you’ll infect your own loved ones,” she said.

Some of the passengers who arrived at Entebbe International Airport from China, which include 44 Chinese nationals, will be kept at two hospitals.

The East African nation has not recorded any suspected cases of the virus, which has killed more than 600 people in China.

People are infectious even before their symptoms appear: the time between infection and symptoms - known as the incubation period - lasts up to 14 days.

The government has advised Ugandans wanting to travel to China to delay their plans.