Govt to announce new measures to combat COVID-19 after laxity from Kenyans » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 6 – Following continued laxity from most Kenyans, the government has announced plans for tougher measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Tuesday said he was concerned at the upsurge of infections which hit 535, with 45 announced on a single day.

“The government will announce more measures this week because the situation is worrying,” he told a news conference Tuesday, when he released latest statistics.

He said he was particularly concerned at the manner in which most people were behaving in public places, oblivious of the danger posed by the virus that has so far killed 24 people since mid March when the first case was confirmed in the country.

“We cannot continue like this, people are not taking this matter seriously at all,” he said, citing habits by Kenyans in hotels and other public places where they continue to mingle, some even without masks.

On Tuesday, Eastleigh region of Nairobi recorded 29 cases, the highest from any region on a single day.

The cases have surged since last week when the government started undertaking mass testing in Nairobi’s Kawangware, Eastleigh and Mombasa County.

Kagwe said the government is concerned on the rising cases from Eastleigh which now has 63 cases.

“I want to thank these people for turning up for mass testing,” he told a news briefing on Tuesday, “this is a good thing because without doing that they could have been out there up to now.”

Other areas considered hotspots include Kawangware with 24 cases and Mombasa Old Town, with 39 cases.

“That tells you that there is community spreading happening in those areas. We are in the process of consultations with the respective authorities in those counties so that we can determine what action we are going to take,” he sai and cautioned that the trend will not be reversed, if Kenyans continue to disobey regulations from the Ministry of Health.

And due to the laxity to obey public health regulations, Kagwe said security forces will strictly enforce the law and has warned hotel and restaurant operators that their licences will be revoked permanently if they continue to violate the law.

“Things have not been easy. Things are getting difficult,” he asserted, “we all have to stay together and help each other. In fact, nothing is as it used to be, and I cannot promise you that we are going to change this in the very near future. But I can tell you, they will eventually get better.”

He urged politicians to tone down on everything else and focus one educating Kenyans on the challenges the country is facing as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.