Cases of Covid-19 have suddenly soured in Kisumu city creating panic that the whole of the county’s population might be on the verge of “mass infection” with the attendant consequence of mass deaths across the county.
In the last week alone, 1,610 cases have been confirmed as positive out of 16,562 tests, with 99% of the infections having been confirmed to have emanated from community infections.
Out of those infected, 39 infections were reported to involve 16 schools and 23 teachers. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, 45 lives have been lost in the Kisumu city.
Following the latest surge in infections, the County government has issued a new alarm appealing to residents to adhere to sanitization measures, wearing of masks, social distancing and other containment steps known to help curb the spread of the pandemic across the county.
The steady rise in Covid-19 cases was confirmed by Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o together with County Commissioner Josephine Ouko who all appealed to residents to stick to Covid-19 containment measures being peddled by the County government. The two county officials decried the fact that majority of Kisumu residents were not observing safety protocols recommended by health professionals because they were not taking Covid-19 seriously.
“We are issuing this statement to alert our people that the Covid-19 pandemic is spiralling out of control in the country and that Kisumu has not been spared,” Nyong’o told an attentive media.
The Governor added that “urgent interventions” must be taken to prevent the disease from wiping out the county’s population. The Governor appealed to Kisumu residents to observe containment measures and to ensure that the dead are buried within 48 hours after death.
The Governor also restricted burial ceremonies to within one hour and warned that security officers will strictly enforce the law especially at funerals.
Although Uhuru Kenyatta announced that at least 200 people are allowed to attend a funeral, the Inter-Faith Council of Kisumu had reduced the figure to 100, allowing only 15 people at the graveyard. Mass eating at funerals has been banned by the county government, including night vigils, religious keshas.
Friends and colleagues of any deceased person have been banned from travelling into groups while such trips must also be authorized by the County Secretary.
While in public places, County government regulations dictate that residents must keep a distance of 1.5 metres, wearing of masks are compulsory in both public and office spaces while all public health protocols pertaining to the containment of Covic-19 pandemic must be followed to the letter.
Nyong’o directed that all traffic police officers must ensure that public service vehicles carry the correct number of passengers. Additionally, all passengers must wear masks, especially in matatus with the general public encouraged to sanitize hands regularly.
Governor Nyong’o said that anybody found violating the rules will be prosecuted.
