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Counties have faulted the national government's decision to place individuals who break curfew laws under mandatory quarantine.
This as the national government defended itself over the decision to demote a top scientist for delaying the relaying of Covid-19 test results.
So far, Covid-19 cases in the country stand at 355 after 12 more persons tested positive. The number of recoveries has also increased to 106 after eight patients tested negative. The death toll remains at 14.
“This is an indication of the dedication of our healthcare workers,” said Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Rashid Aman, who issued the update yesterday.
But while Dr Aman praised those who observed measures issued by the government to combat the disease, governors’ representative in the National Emergency Response Committee (NERC) criticised the move to put individuals arrested for breaking the curfew hours law in mandatory quarantine, saying this has no public health value.
Mohammed Kuti, who is also the Isiolo County governor and chairperson of the Health committee in the Council of Governors, said the move being undertaken by the police has put counties in an anxious state and was fuelling stigma.
“Quarantine is a public health strategy. It is important to separate a public health strategy that is supposed to be embraced and looked at positively from a lawbreaker who walks at night,” he said.
Dr Kuti said he has raised the concern on behalf of governors and discussions were ongoing to deal with the issue soon.
“If you have been in contact with a positive case, then you are quarantined for that particular reason; you are not a law breaker and there is nothing stigmatising about it. This is public health strategy. But if you walk at night, you are a law breaker and should be dealt with that way or maybe you should be taken to a quarantine centre in the prison,” said Kuti.
Since this directive from the Ministry of Health came into place, more than 1,000 people have found themselves in government facilities for breaking the curfew laws. The individuals are expected to stay in the centres for 14 days after which they will be tested.
If they test positive, they are moved to an isolation facility, but if negative they are released. The individuals are also expected to foot their bills - Sh2,000 daily - accrued at the centres.
Apart from those in quarantine, aged persons and Kenya Ports Authority staff, Aman yesterday listed truck drivers as the other cohort of persons earmarked for mandatory testing, an exercise that will take place at the border points as directed by NERC.
The other directives issued were four counties to increase training of health workers by using those already trained as trainers, and identification of isolation facilities from level four to six hospitals across the counties.
Delaying results
Aman, while issuing the brief, defended a decision by the ministry to suspend Joel Lutomiah on grounds he delayed results of Covid-19 tests.
Dr Lutomiah, who is the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) chairperson for Rapid Response, is the one who led the testing exercise.
He is said to have delayed submission of the results to Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe for his perusal before the daily update.
“If there were problems in terms of coordination, collection and transmission of results, so that we can report in good time, then it is our decision to ensure we coordinate this properly. The other issues were administrative, which I will leave for Kemri,” said Aman.
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