No coronavirus case in Samburu, governor says amid panic
An illustration image of the Covid-19 coronavirus, obtained on February 27, 2020, courtesy of the US Food and Drug Administration. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
- The governor clarified that the single case the Ministry of Health reported on Saturday did not originate from Samburu but from Forole in Marsabit County.
- Mr Lenolkulal said his administration has heightened measures to combat the virus and appealed to residents to continue observing directives by the devolved unit and the ministry.
Samburu Governor Moses Lenolkulal says no coronavirus case has been reported in the county so there is no need for panic.
The governor clarified that the single case the Ministry of Health reported on Saturday did not originate from Samburu but from Forole in Marsabit County.
“The sample was not among those we sent to Nairobi for testing. From reliable sources, the contacts have been traced to Forole so there is no cause for alarm," Governor Lenolkulal said.
He added that the person had no history of travel to Samburu.
PREPAREDNESS
Mr Lenolkulal said his administration has heightened measures to combat the virus and appealed to residents to continue observing directives by the devolved unit and the ministry.
"We have strengthened testing across our entry points and our isolation centres are up and running. We urge locals to follow guidelines including social distancing and upholding basic hygiene."
The governor also asked the people to report all suspected Covid-19 cases to authorities using the toll-free phone numbers.
CONTACT TRACING
The county chief further said three ambulances were set aside for use in tracking patients’ close contacts should the county record positive cases.
"There will be one ambulance in each of our three sub-counties. They will aid in transferring cases to ICUs, which will be at our headquarters in Maralal town," he said.
He asked command centres in Nairobi to handle samples carefully to keep residents from panicking.
