With the Easter weekend approaching, Kwale County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri is urging residents and visitors to keep off public beaches as a precaution to control the spread of coronavirus.
Kanyiri said people should stay away from beaches and recreational parks this Easter weekend for the safety and security of everyone.
It is in Easter season when people in the coastal counties of Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi and Lamu usually travel, get outdoors and visit beaches for swimming and boat rides.
The new order to declare beaches and recreational parks off-limits comes in the wake of the reviewed Covid-19 measures that imposed partial lockdown in five counties.
Last week President Uhuru Kenyatta imposed partial lockdown in the counties of Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Nakuru following a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases.
Speaking to the press in his office on Tuesday Kanyiri said public beaches and recreational parks in the coastal county would be closed to large gatherings.
He said over the long Easter weekend they want people to stay out of the beaches and recreational parks.
Kanyiri who co-chairs the county Covid-19 Emergency Response Committee with Governor Salim Mvurya, said people should stay away from their holiday activities this Easter season in a bid to stop the spread of the virus.
He also said authorities would not allow beach activities like watersports such as windsurfing, sailing, snorkeling and kitesurfing that would lead to large grouping of people.
“Beaches are popular spots for locals and tourists but we want them to be deserted during this Easter festivities because we want to keep our people safe,” he said adding that everyone is at greater risk of catching or spreading Covid-19 in crowded places.
The county chief said everyone in Kenya and Kwale in particular has a role to play in combating Covid-19.
He further said the police and the county inspectorate officers would be working closely to make sure that people are not venturing out on the sea this weekend.
“They will also be carrying out strict enforcement of wearing facemasks and observing social and physical distancing in the interest of public health,” he said
By Hussein Abdullahi
