COVID-19: Matatu Operators, Churches Ordered to Provide Kenyans with Sanitizers

The government has ordered all public service vehicles (PSVs) operators to regularly clean their vehicles and provide commuters with hand sanitizers. 

This comes after the first case of coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country was confirmed on Thursday night.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Friday said the patient is a 27-year-old Kenyan woman who arrived in Kenya from the United States via London on March 5th.

“The case was confirmed yesterday (Thursday). She was confirmed positive by the National Influenza Lab,” said Kagwe.

“She passed through Ohio, Chicago, London before arriving in Nairobi on March 5th, she is very responsible as she took herself to hospital and has given us a list of all those she interacted with.” 

Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said matatu operators will from Saturday be trained on how to do the cleaning.

“Public transport carries more than 90% of people. That is why we summoned all public transport operators on Tuesday this week to have a special stakeholder meeting because if this sector has a serious case, every sector of the economy will be affected,” Macharia said.

At the same time, Churches have also been asked to provide hand sanitizers to their congregants. “Churches can have services as long as they have sanitizer,” said CS Kagwe.

The government announced the suspension of all public gatherings, meetings, games, events, church crusades, inter-school games and visits to prisons for the next 30 days.

Kenyans have been urged to wash their hands regularly with soap or sanitizers as well as maintain a distance of about meter from people who are coughing. 

CS Kagwe noted that the patient is in stable condition and her temperature has reduced to normal. She is receiving treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and everyone she came into contact with has been traced, he added.