@Alicewangechi
Murang’a county police commander Josphat Kinyua has asked residents to report anyone who arrives in their villages from abroad and fails to self-quarantine.
Kinyua said many of the people arriving from other countries are not following the self-quarantine guidelines as they are required to.
He said police were looking for three people who are living in the county and recently arrived from abroad.
One of them, a man, is said to be living in Makuyu near Murang’a Teachers Training College and the police launched a search for him on Saturday.
The man is said to have mingled with his family after arriving from the United States when he should have been on quarantine.
Kinyua said by living with his family, the man had put their lives and those of the community at risk.
“The family members continue with their normal lives and interact with their neighbours,” he said.
Kinyua on Sunday told the Star on the phone that the man may have caught wind that he was being sought and went into hiding.
In another case, the police are looking for a lady who jetted into the country from Dubai with a child and is now living in Maragua Ridge area of Maragua subcounty.
Kinyua said the lady has been freely mixing with locals, flouting the government’s instruction to self-quarantine.
The police boss appealed to members of the public to immediately notify the police whenever someone arrives in their village from another country.
This, he said, will make it easy for the government to enforce self-quarantine and safeguard the lives of Kenyans.
He urged residents to use 0800721800, a toll-free number established by the county for coronavirus response, to report such incidences.
“We are asking for the support of the media and the society in ensuring these visitors stay secluded for 14 days as required because some decline to voluntarily do so,” Kinyua said.
He said the security team was partnering with the public health team to ensure the Public Health Act is fully enforced.
Murang’a county has already closed all bars in a bid to stem the potential spread of Covid-19. It is also producing at least 1,000 litres of sanitizers every day for distribution in markets and matatu terminals.
Over 604,000 litres of water in tanks have been put around matatu terminals with the partnership of Murang’a Water and Sanitation Company to ensure people wash their hands.
edited by peter obuya
