Two more cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed in Kenya.
The two tested positive after coming into contact with the first patient and all are being treated at the Kenyatta National Hospital’s isolation facility.
Following the new development, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced eight additional measures to curb the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19) first the suspension of travel for all persons coming into Kenya from countries with reported cases. The suspension that takes effect in the next 48 hours will not affect Kenyans and foreigners with valid permits to work in Kenya.
He urged those that arrived in Kenya in the last 14 days to self-quarantine and encouraged those that may exhibit symptoms such as cough, or fever to seek urgent medical attention at the nearest health facility.
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Kenyatta also encouraged cashless transactions such as mobile money and credit cards in order to reduce the risk of transmission through physical handling of cash. He appealed to mobile operators and banks to reduce the cost of transactions during this period.
Administrators of primary and secondary schools were directed to close the learning centers by Wednesday, 18th March 2020, while Universities and Tertiary Institutions by Friday, 20th March 2020.
Civil servants and employees in the private sector are to work from home or remotely with the exception of those serving in critical or essential services such as security, health, communication, energy, water and transport.
The President appealed for calm as the government strives to contain and manage the pandemic. He asked Kenyans to avoid misinformation that may cause panic and anxiety.
Kenya’s first patient of Covid-19 is a 27 year-old lady who traveled from United States to Nairobi via United Kingdom and landed in Kenya on 5th March, 2020. She tested positive on 12th March, 2020.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states there are 153,648 confirmed cases of Coronavirus and 5,746 deaths from 146 countries. Top ten nations with cases are: China (81048), Italy (21157), Iran (12729), Republic of Korea (8162), Spain (5753), France (4469), Germany (3795), United States of America (1678), Switzerland (1359) and United Kingdom (1144). In Africa, Senagal has 24 cases, Guinea (1), Mauritania (1), Algeria (37), Tunisia (18), Sudan (1), Cameroon (3), Congo (1), Namibia (2), South Africa (61), Reunion Island (6), Mayotte (1), Ethiopia (1), Kenya (3) and Seychelles (2).
The first case of Coronavirus was reported in Wuhan, China late last year.