President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered that Mbagathi hospital coronavirus section be completed within seven days.
This was after the ministry of health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman said they have also identified an open ward with 120 beds at Mbagathi County Hospital in Nairobi but will need a month to prepare it.
In an Executive Order on Friday, Uhuru directed that the national isolation and treatment facility at Mbagathi be completed and ready to receive patients within seven days from the date hereof.
He said that the identification and preparation of isolation and treatment facilities in Level V and referral hospitals across the country be concluded by March 15th.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization head Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus urged countries to take action against the virus. He insisted it was still possible to stop its rapid spread.
Although no Kenyan has tested positive, globally, more than 80,000 people in about 40 countries have been infected with the new coronavirus, which emerged in December. The vast majority remain in China.
Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, has killed more than 2,700 people so far.
Last week, Treasury Principal Secretary Julius Muia said the Ministry of Health had asked for Sh1.8 billion to renovate the Mbagathi ward. The money has not been approved yet.
