Leaders split over Christmas lockdown

As the festive season approaches, a decision on whether there will be a Christmas lockdown will be taken during today’s meeting of the National Response Committee on Covid-19.

Governors have pushed for restriction of movement in Covid-19 hotspots during the festivities, but a member of the committee yesterday ruled out a lockdown, instead suggesting the tightening of existing curbs like curfew time.

In the last meeting, it was part of the agenda though it was not discussed since the committee members and technocrats concentrated more on vaccines preparedness, Covid-19 surveillance, and logistics.

Health experts and some committee members fear the positivity rate could rise to up to 20 per cent should Kenyans drop their guard during the festivities. “We are also worried with the numbers. When we are recording above 10 per cent positivity rate, it is a bad sign. With the festivities, the numbers are likely to increase, we are doing all we can to bring down the rate to less than five per cent. This can only happen when we communicate our risks effectively,”  said Prof Omu Anzala from the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of Nairobi.

Prof Anzala said they will meet today to deliberate on the way forward on how the numbers can be brought down. However, he ruled out the lockdown option.

Stringent measures

From the committees’ decision, President Uhuru Kenyatta will be advised on the way forward and thereafter address Kenyans

Prof Omu said there will be no need for a lockdown given all counties have recorded cases and instead suggested that the government puts other stringent measures, including bringing the curfew to the initial 7 pm.

Reducing the hours the bars are opened, stopping the sale of alcohol in restaurants, reducing the number of people attending weddings, funerals and churches and stopping all political rallies are other options.

“These are super-spreader events and we are likely to see an increase in the numbers since people cannot mask up in the set-ups. People are crowded and they are likely to infect each other. We just have to accept that the virus is here with us and it has penetrated all the counties. Locking down will not change anything,” he said

He added: “Some counties have common markets and roads, who is going to police them? We just have to ensure that we reduce the risk by identifying the super-spreaders and communicating to Kenyans  the risk involved when they are in such crowded places.”

“”We just have to start appealing to Kenyans to avoid crowded places and mask up all the time. Get a way to communicate the message. Travelling is very risky. One should only travel when it is very necessary. If not, just travel and put in mind that your travel can wipe out the whole family. If it is a must you travel, put on your mask correctly,” he said

Governors, however, are worried since most of the counties are not well equipped and the movement of people from urban to rural areas could increase the number of severely ill patients,   yet counties don’t have enough ICU beds. They are pushing for the lockdown of high-risk counties to limit the movement of people from the said counties to the less affected regions.

For instance, Vihiga County is one of the counties staring at a possible health crisis with the rise of Covid-19 infections; as hospitals can only hold 16 patients.  The much-hyped five-bed ICU in the county is still in work in progress, according to the latest Covid-19 situational report released by Health executive Amos Kutwa. It shows that most of the 66 government health facilities and 18 faith-based and private facilities in the county do not have quarantine and isolation facilities.

 For the last six weeks, the numbers of positive cases have been increasing, with November being the most affected month since the country recorded its first case in March.

County hospitals

The number of people in need of ICU services is increasing by day yet county hospitals are not adequately equipped to handle the cases. On Saturday alone, about 141 patients were severely ill and needed oxygen to survive.

Prof Omu insisted that governors should emphasise on mandatory wearing of masks in public places, adding that it is the only weapon, apart from vaccines, that will reduce the cases. 

“Our economy has suffered and we are not going back there any time soon, we just have to do what is right to be safe, remain indoors if you can, travel only when necessary and if in public, remember to mask up, sanitise and wash your hands,” Prof Omu said.