• Several top officials said to have tested positive. Governor healthy but self-quarantining at home.
• Bungoma Health CEC said county offices are in partial lockdown, non-essential staff working at home. Prison lockdown.
Bungoma county has told nonessential employees to stay home after several top officials tested Covid-19 positive.
In a press release, Bungoma CEC for Health Dr Antony Walela said partial closure was prompted by soaring rates of positive tests at Bungoma GK Prisons, now under lockdown, and fear that officials had contracted the disease.
“We have taken the deliberate steps to ensure we stop the spread of the disease in our population," he said.
Without identifying the officials, Walela said a week ago three top officials who exhibited Covid-like symptoms were placed in quarantine.
“In the view of this, the governor [Wycliffe Wangamati] was also advised to self-quarantine at home but the governor remains well and healthy,” Walela said.
The CEC said already 13 people who had tested positive were at the Webuye Isolation Centre and the county surveillance team was doing contact tracing.
Six other people are being treated at home and are being monitored by county medics, he said.
The Star was told by reliable sources that two top officials are admitted at Bungoma County Referral Hospital and have been on oxygen for four days.
The Bungoma assembly was closed on Tuesday because of fears top officials had contracted the disease.
The assembly was closed after concerns that at least 11 members had been in contact with a county official who had tested positive.
Speaking to the Star on Tuesday, assembly speaker Emmanuel Situma said the assembly would be closed for at least two weeks so everyone could be tested.
He said it will only resume after health officials approve and necessary measures are taken.
MCA Balala Mutoka complained that the closure was unprocedural and will stall important business.
(Edited by V. Graham)