Patients in quarantine at the Kenyatta National Hospital’s Infectious Diseases Unit at Mbagathi, Nairobi, will now access free internet connectivity.
This is after Telkom donated free 50 Mbps Internet connectivity to the facility.
Psychology experts posit that social isolation is one of the most difficult experiences for human beings to endure.
With COVID-19, quarantined patients are deprived of external social contact. This separation from family, friends and the life that they are used to, can exact an additional toll on their health beyond the physiological symptoms of the virus.
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The physical or virtual presence of family and friends constitutes an important source of psychological stability and overall therapy during quarantine.
With Kenya’s Covid-19 positive cases approaching the 400 mark, those charged with the responsibility of implementing national strategic interventions to curb the spread of the virus will need access to assured connectivity.
To this end, Telkom has also provisioned the National Emergency Response Committee on Coronavirus, that is based at the Ministry of Health’s offices at Afya House, with free Internet connectivity, to support their work in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya.
The 200 Mbps link will also be used by the Ministry of Health’s offices at Afya House.
Telkom’s Managing Director – Enterprise Division, Kris Senanu says, “technology continues to play an integral part in the lives of Kenyans, more so now that it is enabling them to make the switch to conducting their affairs, virtually, from home: working from home, distance learning and even virtual socialisation.”
Telkom and its partner Loon Inc. recently announced that a larger fleet of balloons is heading to Kenya, to join the balloons that are already active and part of a network integration exercise in Kenyan airspace, in readiness for deployment of the Loon service in the country.
The Loon service, will seek to use its 4G/LTE Internet solution to connect unserved and under-served communities in Kenya.
Initial coverage areas have already been identified, starting with Nairobi, Machakos, Nyeri, Nakuru, Kitui, Nanyuki, Narok and into Kisii.
Telkom and Loon will thereafter work to expedite service deployment, progressively, to other areas, to support the Kenya Government’s efforts to address and manage the spread of Covid-19 in the country.