The county government of Nyeri has already received Sh65 million to pay special allowances to healthcare worker for three months.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga on Friday said the allowances will be paid at the end of this month.
He said the release of the allowances will motivate healthcare workers who are in the frontline in the fight against Covid-19.
The allowances were promised by President Uhuru Kenyatta three months ago.
The President, in mid April, directed the Health and Public Service ministries to develop a welfare package to reward the healthcare workers working towards containing the spread of Covid-19.
The first case of Covid-19 in Nyeri was reported on May 28, 2020, and by Friday the county had 26 cases.
Out of the 26, three were health workers. Eleven of the patients have recovered and discharged while 14 are active cases in the isolation facilities and others under home-based care..
Three quarters of the cases have been reported in Nyeri Central and Kieni East sub counties.
Kahiga said his government has identified and designated three isolation facilities where patients are isolated depending on the severity of the Covid-19 disease.
They are Mt Kenya Hospital, Mukurwe-ini Hospital and the Kenya Medical Training College.
The three will provide the 300 bed isolation capacity as directed by the president.
“To improve critical care for our Covid-19 patients, the county is in the process of procuring additional ventilators, oxygen pipes and oxygen plant, patient monitors and ICU beds amongst other things,” he said.
The governor spoke at Nyeri County Referral Hospital in Nyeri town on Friday when he received Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) being distributed by Kenya Covid-19 Fund and Equity Group Foundation in various counties in the country.
Equity Bank CEO James Mwangi, who handed over the PPEs to the governor, said Central region is high-risk because of the high prevalence rate of Non-communicable diseases.
“So we all need to be cautious and do what we are being advised to do by the Ministry of Health and particularly in wearing face masks and wearing them appropriately and properly,” he said.
Others, he said, are washing of hands regularly and observing social distancing, saying the disease is highly infectious and airborne.
Others present included Equity group chairman Isaac Macharia, Nyeri women representative Rahab Mukami and Speaker John Kaguchia.
Kahiga appreciated the efforts taken by President Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya Covid-19 emergency Response Fund, the Ministry of Health and Equity Group Foundation for their role in the Covid-19 fight.
He praised Equity for setting aside Sh1.4 billion to fight Coronavirus.
