Kenya records highest positive cases of Covid-19 in a day

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe (pictured) has sent a warning shot to persons celebrating the reopening of certain areas yesterday by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Eastleigh and Old Town suburbs that were under partial lockdown ceased to - following the president’s directive, but to which the CS has warned that “It is not that the transmission of the virus in those areas has slowed down.”

Business and liquor store owners who are seemingly opening shop or caught selling alcohol past curfew hours also risk having their licenses withdrawn. Spotlight has been shone in Nairobi, Kileleshwa and Kilimani areas.

“The directive to close down bars has not been lifted,” said CS Kagwe jokingly adding that people visiting bars are now even requesting for ‘one Kagwe-special’.

In response to shifting the dusk-to-dawn curfew hours from 9pm-4am, the CS said that the move is meant to allow employees make it to work and back during the day, but that those who can work from home are still encouraged to do so.

It will also allow those in market places to be able to sell a bit more.

‘’I still emphasise on the importance of individual responsibility as we consider opening up more and more,” he said.

On hospital bed capacity, in his speech on Saturday, President Uhuru directed that all counties have at least a 300-bed capacity.

The CS reiterated that this doesn’t have to be one facility, it can be several hospitals within the county, adding that the government is now more focused on increasing the capacity in some facilities across the country.

New Covid-19 cases

Another 167 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, the highest ever in a day.

That brings the national tally to 2,767 confirmed cases.

The Health Ministry says it tested 2, 833 samples in the last 24 hours, adding that the high number of positive cases is as a result of high targeted testing.

Some 125 of the new cases are male, and 42 female.

The ministry has also discharged 46 patients, bringing total recoveries in the country to 752.

One more person has succumbed to the disease, raising the death toll to 84.