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Kenya: Partying in Quarantine Forces Govt to Extend Isolation By 14 Days

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6 years ago

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Kenyans and foreigners who have been in quarantine centres will now have to extend their stay by 14 days.

This was ordered by the Ministry of Health after it emerged that some of the people placed under quarantine were sneaking out to go partying, in what authorities fear could spread Covid-19 further.

“As I said, there are those who went on partying sprees in quarantine facilities. This is against every protocol that we have issued. But in a bid to further contain any further transmission arising from those in mandatory quarantine we have instructed our medical teams to extend quarantine period of those in facilities which we believe have got individuals who need another 14 days, given the fact that the contacts they have within the quarantine facilities have tested positive,” said Health CS Mutahi Kagwe.

Kagwe said it was regrettable that people were hell-bent on disregarding the social distancing directive issued by his ministry that is aimed at keeping the deadly virus at bay.

The CS indicated that some individuals had violated directives and would place many other Kenyans at risk if they were released.

“We have had cases of people testing positive in our quarantine facilities, indeed, currently, they rank among the highest. This is likely to pose a risk of more transmission, especially among those who have been sharing facilities or those who have not taken seriously the distancing requirements,” the CS ordered.

He apologized for the extension emphasising that it was for their own benefit considering the heightened contact within the centers.

The extension of the days has not been positively received by some of the people who have been in quarantine. They claimed that the government was treating them like prisoners.

Last week, the government published selected hotels and state facilities as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.