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Kenya: Business As Usual in Lake Region As Residents Ignore Covid-19 Protocols

Published

5 years ago

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Lake region residents continue to disregard Covid-19 safety protocols, notwithstanding the trends that caused the region to be placed under a partial lockdown one month ago.

Residents still crowd funerals and markets, with no social distancing and sanitation and some putting on their face masks improperly in public places.

Some parts of the region have no handwashing points in public places to enable proper sanitation.

Besides markets and funerals, public transport vehicles are major spreading points of the killer virus.

In Kisumu County, public service vehicles, including tuk tuks and boda bodas, continue to overload with no social distancing.

But county Director of Public Health Fred Oluoch said the number of infections had significantly dropped.

Kisumu’s Covid-19 positivity rate had declined from 28.9 percent to 9 percent.

“Public service vehicles are still a problem with the habit of carrying excess passengers. They are playing hide-and-seek with the police,” he said.

“With funerals, they are (keeping the number of attendees low) except for those who sneak bodies for night vigils and we have arrested some.”

In Kakamega, police have intensified a crackdown on residents failing to observe Ministry of Health Covid-19 regulations even as boda boda operators and traders in open markets go about their activities without wearing face masks.

Arresting offenders

Kakamega South police Commander David Kabena said law enforcers were not taking any chances following a warning from MoH about a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections in Western Kenya.

“We are enforcing the Covid-19 regulations by arresting offenders and charging them. People are still going about their activities without wearing masks,” he said.

At the County Municipal Market, traders mingled with customers without observing social-distance regulations. Many traders wear masks covering their mouths but leaving their noses exposed.

Tuk tuk operators are also still carrying excess passengers in the town.

The three-wheelers are carrying up to six passengers, in disregard of social distance requirements.

Supermarkets in Kakamega have deployed security guards to ensure customers sanitise their hands and their body temperatures are checked before they are allowed into shops.

Kakamega Health executive Dr Collins Matemba said residents were not heeding MoH guidelines on Covid-19.

“Our people are still defiant and have not taken the warning on Covid-19 seriously. As a county, we tried using our enforcement teams to arrest offenders but there have been confrontations. Police are doing well in enforcing the regulations,” he said.

In Vihiga County, the only directive being observed religiously by residents is the closure of places of worship in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19 even as officials warned community transmission was at its peak.

In other public places such as markets, public service transport and funerals, massive crowding is being witnessed under the watch of law enforcement officers.

Many people walk around without wearing masks while others are not wearing them properly.

In some instances, police are seen arresting people and shoving them into GK vehicles, also in total disregard of health protocols.

Acting Health executive Prof Inonda Mwanje, noting that people have relaxed Covid-19 protocols, urged the public to adhere to the guidelines.

Vaccines are available

The virus transmission was in the community, he said, and everyone needs to be extra vigilant.

He insisted on the need to wear face masks properly, maintain social distance, wash hands regularly and or sanitise.

“We have lost many people because of Covid-19, which is now in our communities and I call upon people to observe the health guidelines.”

Prof Mwanje also urged people to go for vaccination and assured them that vaccines are available at health facilities.

In Kisii County, bodies are still being held at morgues for more than a week.

The 72-hour requirement has not been adopted and families have been mourning their loved ones the way they used to do before Covid-19 struck.

Mourners are also fed, with many bereaved families still having to set aside huge budgets for feasts.

The only change is that bodies are interred the same day they are collected from mortuaries as local administrators were warned about tough disciplinary action if they allow bodies to stay for overnight vigils.

In marketplaces, activities are going on normally. Even after county administrators met various market committees and urged them to allow only people selling food items, clothes and other garments still make their way in.