Port suspends some services to fight virus : The Standard

Operations at the Port of Mombasa will not be suspended despite prevalence of the Covid-19 virus sweeping across the facility and its supply chain. A State agency has ruled out closing shop and instead announced new restrictions to contain spread of the virus. Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has, however, suspended bagging services at the quayside for any arriving ships, saying it exposes port users to the virus. KPA acting Managing Director Rashid Salim said yesterday the decision was arrived at because of the high number of people that come into contact at the section. KPA has suspended ship crew change, especially of foreign seafarers, for the ships that call at the port.

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“The numbers involved are high both at the bagging plant equipment and those loading onto the trucks from the conveyer belt,” said Salim. Bagging is one of the services offered at the conventional cargo operations department where most of the confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported. The number of confirmed cases at the port has continued to swell following last week’s launch of the mandatory mass testing of its 7,000 workforce. Early this week, Salim said over 600 employees had been tested out of which 13 cases turned positive and were under treatment. By Friday infections had risen to 29 with three infections reported on Thursday and two on Friday. Two port employees have so far died from the virus.

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“Regrettably two of them succumbed to the disease. On a positive note three have fully recovered and been discharged from the hospitals,” the KPA boss said. KPA has reviewed its measures to contain spread of the pandemic by enabling the online cargo documentation process to facilitate port users to clear cargo electronically.

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Kenya Ports AuthorityMombasaCovid-19