NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 2 – The government has warned Kenyans against unnecessary travel as coronavirus cases in the country rose to 110, with three deaths.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said those planning to travel to and from various destinations, including for Easter celebrations, should consider shelving the plans due to the risk of infections.
“We are discouraging mass movements of people from one point to another,” he said, “we encourage you to stay at home where you are.”
The death toll in Kenya from coronavirus jumped to 3 Thursday after 2 more people succumbed.
Kagwe said the total number of confirmed positive cases had also risen to 110 after 29 new confirmations were recorded.
“I am saddened to announced that in the last 24 hours we have lost two more people who succumbed to coronavirus disease, and this brings the total number of deaths to 3,” the CS said.
Kagwe has warned of a possibility of a further increase in the number of positive cases in the country.
The first death was of a 66-year-old man on March 28, who passed on while at the Intensive Care Unit of the Aga Khan Hospital.
“Arising from this trend, the government is now announcing stiffer measures to prevent a further spread,” he said, “I urge you to observe strict measures of hygiene.”
The CS said the 29 new cases were singled out from a group of 662 people, tested in the last 24 hours.
“This is a new record in terms of daily testing capacity. This is because of the activation of testing facilities across the country, and additional testing facilities in the private hospitals,” the CS said.
28 Kenyans are among the new cases and a Congolese national, with the CS warning the numbers are set to increase drastically.
“We have placed them into our isolation facilities,” the CS said.
The Government is currently undertaking a mass testing of 2,050 people in various quarantine facilities.
“Part of the disappointment is those who claim that they do not know anybody in their area, who has either died or been tested positive to the disease. This is precisely the effort we are trying to make so that we do not hear of death or a positive case,” the CS asserted.
“Please do not wait to hear of death near you, for you to realize that this disease is not a joke,” he said.
He further asked those in quarantine to keep social distance “because some people could easily be positive. Please keep serious social distance.”
The numbers of those who have recovered has also increased to three after Kilifi Deputy Governor Gideon Saburi was declared coronavirus free.
“He has been declared fit after being subjected to three tests, all of which have turned negative,” the CS said adding “naturally the issue of the law, will now follow up with him.”
He was forcefully quarantined after failing to do so, despite arriving from the country from a country with cases of coronavirus and against the government’s directive.
The disease has claimed more than 47,000 people across the world, while 937, 130 others had been infected by Thursday.
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