Traders in various market centres in Busia County have been urged to adhere to the Ministry of Health directives to enable curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking after receiving a donation of hand washing equipment from Kenya Red Cross on Tuesday, the Busia County Commissioner (CC), Joseph Kanyiri noted that a number of traders do not observe the 1.5-metre social distancing rule.
“We urge the community to still take it as a personal responsibility to fight the Covid-19 disease by washing hands as much as possible,” he said and added that neglecting such rudimentary guidelines might lead to a surge in the spread of the pandemic.
Kanyiri reiterated that boda boda operators should wear facemasks and carry only one passenger at a time.
“What the President said is that we have relaxed restrictions on movement but please take personal responsibility for your health,” he said adding that besides wearing masks patients will have to bear the cost of treatment.
The County Commissioner said health facilities in the County require repairs and decried the fact the County had not attained the 300-bed capacity as required by the National government.
“We are working on that with the County government but we might be overwhelmed and I want to reiterate the caution that I have given to the community that we adhere to the prescribed guidelines by the Ministry of Health,” he said.
The administrator urged Kenya Red Cross officials to sensitize the traders on the best hand washing practices as they distribute the hand washing equipment.
Kanyiri at the same time urged those intending to visit the County from Nairobi to ensure they are tested before travelling to avoid spreading the virus to the locals.
“The donation consisted of 15 hand washing facilities and 80 bottles of soap,” he said, adding that the organization has also carried out training for those operating within the market places.
By Salome Alwanda
