The Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTTH) has suspended patient visitation with immediate effect due to rising cases of COVID 19.
In a notice issued Wednesday, the hospital management stated, “Due to the increased instances of COVID-19, patient visitation will not be allowed from 24th March 2020 as a precautionary measure until further notice.”
While apologizing for any inconvenience caused, the hospital management said the move was necessary to curb any possible spread of the contagious disease, adding that the hospital was committed to protecting its staff, patients and other clients.
Governors from the North Rift Region have also encouraged residents to reduce visiting or accompanying their sick or injured kin in hospital.
“If possible the sick should visit the hospitals by themselves and if patients must be accompanied, then only one person be allowed to do so,” said the county bosses in a press statement.
Last Tuesday the hospital restricted the number of people visiting the facility in an effort to contain the threat of spreading Coronavirus pandemic with MTRH CEO, Dr. Wilson Aruasa announcing only one visitor will be allowed to visit a patient admitted at the hospital each visiting hour.
The hospital’s move to suspend patient visitation comes at a time when the County Assembly announced that seven out of 15 members of the County Assembly who returned to the country after an official trip to Dubai were on self-quarantined as required by government regulation.
The County Assembly Speaker, David Kiplagat assured residents of Uasin Gishu that the first batch of eight MCA’s who arrived back in Kenya on 6th March 2020 have successfully completed 14 days self-quarantine.
Counties in the North Rift region have set aside 235 isolation beds as it prepares for any eventually. Uasin Gishu County leads with a bed capacity of 120. Samburu and Turkana counties 30 each while West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet have set aside 25-bed capacity facilities each. Trans Nzoia 32, Nandi 18 and Baringo county 10.
Elsewhere, four Chinese nationals and their taxi driver were forced into quarantine at a hotel in Migori town in a bid to control the spread of coronavirus.
They had travelled from Nairobi to Migori town and were trailed at the hotel after the team alerted officials and taskforce led by County Commissioner (CC), Joseph Rotich tasked with ending the spread of virus.
“We forced them into quarantine at the hotel and they will not leave until results from samples collected from them are out,” County Health Executive, Isca Oluoch said.
The group could not properly explain their movement and failed to produce any documents to support their claims that they had been in self-quarantine for two weeks after coming in from China.
“There are no documents to substantiate their claims hence they were forced to subject them to mandatory quarantine,” she said.
On Monday, a resident who had travelled in the country from Germany was arrested and placed into forced quarantine at an isolation ward in Migori Referral Hospital after neighbours alerted authorities.
He is the third resident to be traced, after two others who came in the county from Malaysia and Dubai were also placed into forced self-quarantine last week.
“The resident from Germany is still in the ward awaiting his results to come out and he is being monitored closely, the other two from Malaysia and Dubai had negative results and are in self-quarantine with aid of family members,” Isca said.
By Kiptanui Cherono/Geoffrey Satia
