NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 24 – Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has asked hotels receiving mandatory quarantine cases to offer modest rates in order to facilitate isolation of people arriving from overseas.
Kagwe proposed a 25 to 50 percent discount rates for hotels offering accommodation services, while noting that some hotels were abusing the quarantine order to exploit customers.
“We are appealing to you, these are people who came to the country with no plans to spend money in a hotel, if normal rates in your hotels are Sh12,000, you should be charging not more than 50 percent or even 25 percent of that because this is business you did not expect,” he said.
Hundreds of Kenyans arriving back from overseas are required to be on self-isolation for two weeks, with the government now closing the Kenyan airspace to all international passenger flights from Wednesday.
“Let me reiterate that all passengers coming to the country must undergo mandatory quarantine either at their own hotel, government-approved hotels or in designated government facilities,” Kagwe said.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the person who tested positive was among contacts traced from the eight new cases confirmed on Sunday.
He said results for 11 more people who are isolated at the Kenyatta National Hospital’s Infectious Disease Unit in Mbagathi will be out this week.
A total of 646 people who came into contact with confirmed cases have been traced by health officials working in collaboration with county governments, out of which 96 have been released from the isolation facilities.
CS Kagwe, however, called out the public transport sector for hiking fares, calling actions by public service vehicle operators as immoral.
The coronavirus pandemic has claimed over 15,000 lives with cases of infections exceeding 350,000.
About The Author
