Violate curfew and risk two weeks in quarantine

AfricaPress-Kenya: Those who violate curfew hours will be arrested and placed under mandatory quarantine, the Ministry of Health has said.Additionally, the ministry seeks to employ technology to monitor congregations of persons past the curfew hours, a move that may invoke more restrictions.

Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi (pictured), while announcing eight more cases yesterday, said even with relief that majority of the cases in the country are imported, there is high risk of local transmission

It is for this reason that the government now seeks to utilise community health volunteers and has already deployed public health officers to the counties who will work with police in manning all roadblocks.

Directive issued

Dr Mwangangi said despite the stringent directive issued by the government, there are still cases of individuals who find a way to congregate or travel in and out of the counties that are on lockdown.

“Going forward, all those who break the curfew rules will be assumed to have been in contact with suspected cases, hence will be quarantined for a period of 14 days,” she said.Mwangangi said while 56 per cent of cases in the country are imported, 44 per cent are local transmissions.

She noted that so far, the country has contained imported cases by suspending international flights and closing the borders.However, the challenge now lies with local infections, which she said, will surge with people breaking the set rules.“We have noted that people are presenting all manner of letters of authority to move out of the restricted areas.

Let me state here that nobody has authority to clear any person to move out of those areas except the Ministry of Interior,” she said.Mwangangi further indicated that the ministry has received reports of persons who own wines and spirits shops and have converted them into drinking joints, hence contravening the rule of social gathering.“Anyone found drinking at wines and spirits shops will be arrested and the business closed down,” she said.

The CAS said the country has reported 270 confirmed cases. The latest eight are from a sample of 1,330 tested between Saturday and Sunday. These include seven Kenyans and one foreigner.“None of these has a history of travel,” she said.

These cases are between ages 17 and 65.Additionally, the death toll now stands at 14 after two more patients died. On the bright side, the number of recoveries now stands at 67 after seven patients tested negative.“This is indeed very encouraging, and we hope many more will recover,” she said.To date, the government has tested 13,239 samples.