A Catholic sister who had traveled from Spain to Makueni and defied the mandatory 14 day- self quarantine has been forced to do so.
Speaking during a press briefing in Wote Town on Monday, the County Governor, Prof. Kivutha Kibwana said the nun who recently jetted from Spain, a hotspot for the coronavirus refused to self-quarantine forcing the County Emergency Response Committee to intervene.
Prof. Kibwana said the county remained vigilant to contain the spread of the virus and asked residents to report any person who defies the precautionary measures outlined by both the national and the county government.
“I wish to laud efforts by residents to call out individuals who fail to follow the given guidelines, especially on self-quarantine because such people are putting the lives of others in danger,” he said.
He appealed to members of the public to follow the laid down safety measures saying failure to do so will put the country in a precarious situation.
“The measures put in place are not punitive, we know the economy of the country is hurting but this highly infectious disease is not a joke. We don’t want a scenario like in Italy, France and Spain, countries that even have a better health system than ours but are currently overwhelmed by the same pandemic,” said Kibwana.
The governor warned bars and clubs owners against defying Sunday’s government order to remain closed until further notice, warning that those caught will have their licenses revoked for good.
He also directed families to conduct funerals of their loved ones within 48 hours failure to which the county government will bury them.
“If they don’t, we will bury the bodies according to the Public Health Act,” said the governor.
However, Kibwana expressed optimism that Kenya will finally overcome the disease even as he appealed for calm. “It’s only a matter of time before we go back to our normal lives,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Makueni County Health Executive, Dr. Andrew Mulwa has allayed fears that a passenger who collapsed and died on Monday morning in Mtito andei town while aboard a Mombasa -bound bus was suffering from coronavirus.
Dr. Mulwa said the passenger did not meet the ‘case criteria’ for Covid -19, adding: ‘‘the passenger did not exhibit the symptoms of the disease like coughing, shortness of breath or high fever. He also did not complain of any illness as he boarded the vehicle.’’
He noted that the passenger may have had a pre-existing condition that could have led to his death.
Dr. Mulwa however, said body samples were taken and sent to Nairobi to determine the real cause of death.
‘‘Immediately the case was reported, public health officials from Kibwezi Sub County moved to the scene and fumigated the vehicle. They also took the body for preservation at the sub county hospital mortuary,” he said.
The health executive said appropriate action will be taken once the results are out. ‘‘If the results prove otherwise, we shall trace the contacts of the passengers in the bus and take the necessary precautionary measures,’’ said Dr. Mulwa, while addressing the press at Wote town today.
The County Commissioner (CC), Maalim Mohammed warned against spreading rumors that may cause fear and panic among residents. ‘‘Let us desist form circulating unconfirmed reports that may cause anxiety,” he said.
The passenger died Monday at around 2.40 am when the bus travelling from Nairobi to Mombasa made a stopover at Mtito andei. He is alleged to have coughed and died, creating panic among passengers.
By Roselyne Kavoo
