Embu county commissioner Abdullahi Galgalo has warned politicians against hosting meetings that breach Covid-19 containment measures.
Galgalo on Tuesday said politicians should conduct themselves with due dignity and avoid scrappy activities that subject residents to a high risk of contracting the virus.
The commissioner was speaking during the weekly Covid-19 briefing in Embu town on Tuesday.
Galgalo, who also chairs the committee on Covid-19 assessment in Embu, warned the political class against hosting disorganised meetings, failing which he will use his privileged powers to stop them.
“I want to kindly urge politicians to ensure they follow the guidelines given by the Ministry of Health. We won’t be shaken in enforcing the Covid-19 protocols,” he said.
Further, he called upon residents and the transport sector to follow the Covid-19 guidelines by always wearing face masks, maintaining social distance and honouring the 10pm curfew.
“We have arrested 48 suspects for breaking the Covid-19 containment measures in the past one week and they have been arraigned,” he added.
He also ordered Police commander Daniel Rukunga to tighten enforcement of the Covid-19 guidelines.
However, Galgalo noted that the amount of Covid-19 cases in the county has increased over the past weeks. He appealed to residents to take the Covid-19 jab.
Embu county has reported 13 cases over the past three days.
The commissioner was flanked by county public health director Roseline Kaugi and county police commander Daniel Rukunga.
Kaugi attributed the rise in cases to the low temperatures in the region, which exposes residents to the coronavirus. She said the county has enough vaccines and urged residents to go for vaccines.
Kaugi noted that the county, through the Ministry of Health, has received 18,400 doses of Moderna and 7,600 doses of Astrazeneca.
She added that healthcare workers have been trained in offering and handling vaccines.
“We have added vaccination centres and distributed the vaccine to the levels 2, 3, 4 and 5 hospitals in the county,” the director added.
She said the Ministry of Health will roll out outreach services.
“The Covid-19 vaccine uptake in the county is recommendable. I encourage people to take the vaccine as this will protect them further,” Kaugi said.
The committee, through the director, insisted that people should not offer food during events as this exposes people to Covid-19 when they take off their masks to eat.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
