Siaya joint emergency response committee has dispelled rumours of the existence of Coronavirus case in the county, with the area governor Cornel Rasanga assuring residents that all was well.
The committee, co-chaired by the governor and Siaya County Commissioner, Michael ole Tialal, said reports that a person with the symptoms was found at Rwambwa in Usonga location were false and warned those spreading rumours that they risked being jailed.
The duo, who addressed the media at the governor’s home in Segere village, Siaya at the same time announced a raft of measures aimed at keeping the virus at bay.
Among the measures, said governor Rasanga, was immediate closure of all private and public mortuaries in the county, with those bereaved required to pick bodies for burial within 48 hours.
He said that the county government has waived all mortuary bills as an incentive to the bereaved to collect the bodies.
Rasanga further said that people who die must be interred within 48 hours, adding that huge crowds must be avoided during burial ceremonies.
The governor further announced restrictions on the number of people visiting patients in the county’s medical facilities to only two per patient per day.
He said that market days, when people throng markets on given days, have been suspended adding that people will be expected to go for their provisions as they do on normal days.
The governor however called on traders to maintain hygiene in their premises and markets, adding that public health officials have been ordered to carry out inspections and close down all that do not meet the required standards.
During the briefing, Rasanga said his cabinet has approved a Sh50 million budget to fight the scourge and urged the national government to expedite the release of an emergency fund it promised.
County Commissioner, Michael ole Tialal said that security along the beaches neighbouring Uganda has been improved and nobody will be allowed to sneak in without scrutiny.
“Adequate security personnel have been deployed to patrol the boundary in the lake,” he said adding that beach management units have also been incorporated to ensure foreigners or those who show the signs of Coronavirus to not slip into the country unnoticed.
Tialal called on bar operators to work within the stipulated time and ensure their facilities are hygienic. He ordered the police and chiefs to ensure no disco is played in the county.
The briefing was also attended by the county police commander, Francis Kooli and the county executive committee member for health, Dorothy Owino.
By Philip Onyango.
