The Judiciary has scaled down operations at the Engineer law courts in Kinangop in Nyandarua for two weeks after nine staff members tested positive for Covid-19.

Following the outbreak, members of the public have been barred from accessing the courts while those who tested positive have been sent home to self-isolate.

Move comes two months after the nearby Naivasha law courts in Nakuru county suffered a similar fate, forcing all the staff to be tested before scaling down its operations.

In the Kinangop case, the problem started after a wave of flu hit the courts. The  facility has three magistrates.

“After one person was confirmed positive it was ordered that the other staff be tested and nine of them have been confirmed positive,” said a staff member who declined to be named.

The employee was, however, quick to note that though public services had been suspended for two weeks, there was a skeleton staff to address urgent matters.

Nyandarua Health CEC  John Mungai confirmed the new cases, adding that they were working with the Judiciary to contain the spread.

Dr Mungai said the affected staff and their contacts had been sent home for self-isolation for two weeks according to the Ministry of Health regulations.

“Operations at the courts have been suspended after some members of the staff tested positive to Covid-19 but the situation is under control,” he said.

And as the second wave of the pandemic hit the country, Mungai admitted that the agriculture-rich county had not been left out. 

He noted that in the last one week, the county had reported 74 cases though majority of those affected were recovering from home.

“We have embarked on a campaign to remind members of the public on the need to observe the set guidelines so that we can stop this new wave,” he said.

The CEC added that all the local isolation facilities were open and operational though only three patients were admitted in one of the facilities.

“We have a bed capacity of 330 to handle  emergency cases. We are also keenly monitoring the current situation in the country even as the positive cases continue to rise,” he said.

The Ministry of Health has warned of a possible second wave of the virus with Nakuru, Mombasa and Nairobi being the most affected counties.