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Robert Ochoro, Henry Andanje and KNA

County governments have scaled up coronavirus preparedness measures to deal with the possible outbreak of the disease.

Turkana County has started screening all passengers travelling by air at the county’s airport and airstrips.

The screening sites are based at Lokichoggio, the only International airport in the county and the three airstrips in Kakuma, Kapese in Lokichar and Lodwar where disease surveillance officers have mounted screening sites.

“In the last two days, all arrivals adding up to 186 people were subjected to screening. In addition, temporary isolation tent has been set up at the Lodwar Airstrip for the management of any person exhibiting Corona like symptoms,” County executive committee member for health Jane Ajele said.

 In Narok, Governor Samuel Ole Tunai has reiterated that the county government is putting up structures to contain the possibility of the deadly corona virus case in the area.

Tunai said a committee of experts has been set up and working closely with the National Emergency Response Committee appointed by the president last week to monitor the situation in the county.

Nothing to chance

 “We are taking nothing to chance because we hear the disease has no cure and is spreading at an alarming rate. The medical team put in place will help in monitoring and sensitizing members of the public on the deadly disease,” said Tunai.

Meanwwhile, in Busia County, the county assembly has summoned the CEC for health and agriculture to appear before it within seven days to explain the measures taken to confront the virus as well as the desert locusts’ invasion

Speaker of the Assembly Bernard Wamalwa ruled that the CEC for health Moses Mulomi and his agriculture counterpart Dr Osia Mwanje should appear before the Assembly to explain how the county has prepared to counter Coronavirus and desert locusts.

Meanwhile, investors and health professionals have today decried the country’s state of preparedness should the coronavirus 19(COVID 19) find its way into the country. 

The country, they said, is ill-equipped to manage an outbreak of such magnitude as Coronavirus, since there are no designated quarantine facilities with a capacity for many patients and the available workforce. 

 However, in Nairobi, the Chairman of the Kenya Health Professionals Society, Mohammed Duba, said that while they acknowledge the government’s efforts to limit probability of transmission without negatively affecting legal travels, commerce and economic growth, they feel that more should be done in order to ensure Kenyans are protected. 

“Coronavirus being a respiratory virus has the capacity for fast cross border spread, especially with the coming season of long rain and flu,” Duba said.