Industrial Area Remand Prison in Nairobi has been placed on high alert following reports that two inmates have been infected with Covid-19.
On Saturday, May 9th, Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Dr. Rashid Aman confirmed the ministry received reports on the two cases, adding that prisons have been identified as one of the high-risk areas.
“These two cases in Industrial Area Remand Prison I’m certain that our Emergency Operation Centre and Rapid Response Team must have been alerted and are aware of it.”
“The correctional facilities are one of those high-risk areas we have identified because of their nature and closeness,” Dr. Aman told the press.
As a result, the ministry is set to commence mass testing for Covid-19 in major detention facilities around the country.
“Part of our testing is to get into these facilities, work with the prison department in order to be able to determine whether there is transmission of Covid-19 within these facilities and then put in all those necessary measures that we require to protect the inmates,” he added.
The number of Covid-19 infections in the country jumped to 649 after 28 additional cases were confirmed on Saturday.
The 28 new cases are spread out in Mombasa (10), Nairobi (9), Migori (4), Kajiado (2), and one each in Machakos, Kiambu, and Homa Bay counties.
Out of the 28 new cases, 24 are Kenyans and four are foreigners from Tanzania.
The ministry also announced that five more patients recovered while one succumbed to the disease. This raises the total number of recoveries to 207 and fatalities to 30.
