Panic gripped residents of Migori County on Saturday following reports that the region had registered its first two positives cases of Covid-19.
Gloom swept across the vast and populous county Saturday afternoon as Health CAS Dr. Mercy Mwangangi announced that among the 24 new Covid-19 patients recorded Saturday, two were from Kuria West Sub County, a region neighboring Tanzania that is now reeling under the heavy impact of the virus.
The announcement was like a live bullet to the masses in the whole of Migori County and especially those in Kurialand who have for a long-time been casual on the health guidelines issued by the ministry of health towards curbing the spread of the virus.
“I have always nursed fears that one day this region will record a case or cases of Covid-19 because of the casual way the residents are treating warnings issued by the Ministry of Health with regard to the virus,” claimed Mr. Mwita Matinde, a resident of Kehancha town.
Speaking on phone, Mr. Matinde said people in the region had defied all the rules regarding social distancing, wearing face masks and crossing the common border with Tanzania at will despite being warned by the government.
Mr. Joseph Owino said parents had failed to confine their children at home as advised by the government after closing all learning institutions to protect the learners from contracting the virus.
Migori, which has been identified as a high risk region on matters Covid-19, is unable to control movement of people across the border with Tanzania because of the porousness of the common border.
‘We are now paying the price of ignoring all that the government is telling us about this disease,” lamented Mrs. Rebecca Chacha, a resident of Nyamtiro.
She called on the government to completely close the border with Tanzania, a country that has recorded high numbers of Covid-19 patients in the last few days.
Meanwhile, health officials in the area led by Dr. Iscah Oluoch, the County Executive Committee (CEC) Member in charge of Health said the two reported cases had already been transferred to Macalder Treatment Centre in Nyatike Sub-County and urged the local people to remain calm.
Dr. Oluoch said there should be no cause for alarm adding that all measures have been put in place to seal all the loopholes that may trigger the spread of the diseases in the area.
However, the announcement of the two cases has also thrown the political class in Kuria into panic with the Masaba Member of County Assembly (MCA) Abedi Maroa asking members of Kuria community with relatives in Tanzania to stop visiting the country.
“If you have relatives in Tanzania, from today stop going there and tell them not to visit you this time until we contain this virus,” he said.
Mr. Paula Onyango a resident of Muhuru Bay said the government should seal all movements on Lake Victoria waters and especially by fishermen with a view to curbing the spread of the virus.
By George Agimba
