Murang’a county government has started an exercise to distribute free face masks to combat the spread of covid-19.
On Tuesday, 10, 000 boda boda operators were the first batch of residents to benefit from the masks which are locally made.
Governor Mwangi wa Iria has said they have moved to make masks and distribute to local residents as efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus gears up.
The masks are being given free especially to residents unable to afford them from retail outlets.
He noted boda boda operators ferry many people on daily basis and thus were given first priority in issuance of the masks.
“We have produced 30, 000 masks and the first people to be issued with the protective gear are boda boda operators considering the many people they interact with on a daily basis,” added Wa Iria.
The county government, he added is targeting to produce more than 300, 000 masks by close of this week.
“The groups targeted to benefit from the masks include traders at markets, transporters, shopkeepers and matatu operators. These groups of people usually interact with many people in their line of work,” he added.
He noted that the masks meet the required health standards and are being manufactured in the local polytechnics.
He cautioned boda boda operators and business people against failing to wear the masks saying by doing so they put the lives of many residents at risk of contracting the disease.
“We will cancel operation license for any boda boda sacco whose members will fail to wear masks and this also applies to shopkeepers and other traders who will not wear the masks as directed by the ministry of health,” warned Wa Iria.
He lauded the President for announcing a partial lockdown in Nairobi and other three counties where cases of coronavirus have been increasing day by day.
“What the president did is wise as this will prevent spread of the disease to other counties and going by that decision in Murang’a we are contemplating to discourage people from neighboring counties to visit our county,” he highlighted.
Wa Iria has been in the frontline in calling for the ban of public transport saying movement of people will lead to spread of the disease.
Other measures Murang’a county government has come up with to combat spread of Covid 19 include manufacturing of sanitizers and screening of passengers entering the county.
More than 7,000 litres of sanitizers are being produced on daily basis and being distributed to residents from various parts of the county especially those operating in public areas and offices.
Water tanks have also been installed in public areas to facilitate people to frequently wash their hands as advised by the ministry of health.
By Bernard Munyao
Murang’a Issues Facemasks
