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Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe Pic: Photo Courtesy
Kenya confirms first coronavirus case
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Friday said the patient is a 27 year-old Kenyan who travelled from the US via London. He said that although the patient, a Kenyan, is stable and eating, she will not be released from hospital until she is confirmed negative. The woman is at Kenyatta National Hospital’s Infectious Disease Unit. The government says it has traced all contacts the patient made since her arrival. “We have done all the contact tracing and have all the names including the people who sat next to her on the flights she took,” he said. Consequently, Kenya has suspended all travel outside the country unless necessary. Public gatherings are also suspended, including all inter-schools events. The CS said every level 4 and 5 hospital in the country will have an isolation ward funded by the Ministry of Health and the World Bank. County Governments have also been urged to carry out regular public sensitisation on the coronavirus disease.
KEEP CALM
CS Kagwe urged Kenyans to remain calm, noting that there’s no need for panic or worry provided people abide by the measures put in place. “This is not a time to assign blame but one to join hands to ensure this pandemic does not tear through our country. This is not the time to make abnormal prices,” he warned pharmacies and business people.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia, who was present at the press conference, said all public transport operators were summoned on March 10 for a special stakeholder meeting. He said the government will be conducting training at bus stops from 10 am to 4 pm that will involve all bus drivers, matatu drivers and conductors. “Public transport carries the vast majority of our people…more than 90 per cent. That is why we are giving it special focus.”
HEALTH ACT RULES
CS Kagwe has invoked the Public Health Act which requires Kenyans to:
1. Maintain a distance of at least 1 metre from persons who are coughing
2. Those coughing and have fever and difficulty in breathing should stay at home
3. All public gatherings, and events that have large gatherings
4. Suspension of interschool events but schools will remain open
5. Public transport operators will be required to regularly clean their vehicles and provide sanitizers to passengers
6. Suspension of all visits to prisons for the next 30 days
7. Kenyans have been warned against spreading misinformation
8. Unless absolutely necessary, travelling to affected countries have been banned
The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), whose epicentre was in Wuhan, China, has now killed nearly 5,000 people and infected more than 130,000 worldwide as at Friday. Due to presence of the coronavirus case, all public gatherings, rallies, crusades and meetings of a national nature have been banned. This includes Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) rallies. However, churches will continue to operate as usual as long they provide hand sanitisers to their congregants. Interschool activities like drama, music festivals and sports have been also been banned. Leaders sounded off on the announcement by Mr Kagwe, with Raila Odinga lauding the country’s preparedness. “We are pleased with the government approach to handling the threat and protecting the health of Kenyans…As a country, we are in this together and we urge our citizens not to panic,” he said on his official social media page. – nation.co.ke
Coronavirus: Uganda Bans Travel From
UK, US And 14 Other Countries
Uganda has restricted visitors from some countries with what it terms high cases of coronavirus, including China, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, South Korea, and Spain. “Government has decided to ask travelers from the affected countries not to come to Uganda because the high cases they are reporting can easily be imported into the country,” the country’s health minister Jane Ruth Aceng said in a statement. A revised advisory released Wednesday by the Health Ministry increased the number of high-risk countries from 7 to 16, including the United States and the UK. The other countries include the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Austria, and Malaysia. In the new statement, travelers from these countries are urged to consider “postponing non-essential travel to Uganda.” – citizen.co.ke