The Nyeri administration will allow visitors only a single time slot – between 1pm and 2pm – into public hospitals to see patients.
Currently, visitors are allowed time with patients in wards three times a day—6am-7am, 1pm-2pm and 4.30pm-5.30pm. Only the 1pm-2pm slot will remain.
The directive follows the confirmation of the presence of Covid-19 in the country. Kenya has recorded four cases so far.
Governor Mutahi Kahiga said they are also recommending that only relatives visit patients to prevent crowding.
“This is because that is also another crowd that we are going to create and we will also be increasing the risk of infection,” he said.
Kahiga spoke on Tuesday at Mt Kenya Hospital, where an isolation and quarantine facility has been set aside for coronavirus patients.
The hospital’s medical officers also performed a simulation of their preparedness in tackling Covid-19 cases if reported in Nyeri.
The hospital has set aside 21 beds and deployed three doctors and four nurses who have experience working with Ebola in Liberia.
“We have also increased our capacity in terms of the medical equipment brought. We are receiving deliveries from the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency all in preparation for any eventuality,” Kahiga said.
He said since schools will be closing, towns will see an increase in pedestrian traffic and urged matatu saccos to be on high alert and provide sanitisers or soap and water.
Residents who are registered with Universal Health Coverage will get coronavirus treatment for free, the governor said.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
Nyeri is one of four counties selected to pilot UHC; the other three are Kisumu, Machakos and Isiolo.
Other than the county government-run facility, the governor said, the private Outspan Hospital has also set aside an isolation ward.
Kahiga called on PCEA Tumutumu Hospital and Consolata Hospital Mathari, owned by the PCEA and Catholic churches respectively, to also set aside an isolation facility each.
He urged the national government to devolve laboratories to the counties as they are forced to take samples to Nairobi, which is time-consuming.
Central regional commissioner Wilfred Nyagwanga urged residents to practise social distancing.
He asked people in rural areas to stop going to towns. This, Nyagwanga said, is because the region is close to the city with people from the region commuting to Nairobi for work daily.
He spoke to the media during a meeting with county commissioners from the region to discuss how to put structures in place across the region as directed by the President.
“We have agreed that all the national government administrative officers up to the sub-location level go to educate members of the public from house to house to ensure people are self-quarantined and do not overcrowd in some places,” he said.
(Edited by O. Owino)
