Nandi County Commissioner Herman Shambi has warned traders in the county against selling low- quality face mask which do not prevent one from acquiring covid-19.
He complained that the traders were taking advantage of gullible Kenyans to sell substandard masks due to the demand of the product to make quick money.
“We are sending a strong warning to traders selling counterfeit or substandard face masks to locals that when caught, you will face full force of the law,” he said.
Wearing face masks is recommended as part of personal protective equipment and as a public health measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19 virus.
The outbreak of corona virus has offered opportunity for fast cash, as criminals take advantage of the high market demand for personal protection to sell out counterfeit medical equipment.
Speaking at the County headquarters, Shambi noted that members of the public deliberately acquire face masks protection to avert confrontation with security personnel.
“We urge members of the public to be careful when purchasing masks because the market has been flooded with substandard face masks which do not have three layers,” he said
Over the past weeks, Nandi County has reported an upsurge in Covid -19 positive cases with reports from the County Executive Member for Health Mrs Ruth Koech showing that Nandi has a total number of 1,160 confirmed positive cases from a sample of 10,000 tested.
The administrator stated that the County response committee will intensify crackdown on the Covid-19 measures to curb the spread of the killer disease.
He urged religious leaders to ensure there are limited number of people attending church services and mosques.
“Make sure you have enough hand washing points in your place of worship, ensure those who attend services are wearing mask and observing the 1.5 meter rule,” he said
Security agents have also been directed to ensure all public service vehicles carry passengers according to the guide lines given by the Ministry of Health.
By Linet Wafula
