This archive report was first published on 27 June 2020.
On June 27, 2020, Machakos Governor Dr Alfred Mutua took drastic measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 in his county.
Following the deaths of several patients at Shalom Hospital in Athi River, the Governor declared the facility a no-go zone, effectively sealing it off.
According to the Governor, the patients may have contracted the virus while at the hospital, and a health practitioner had also tested positive for Covid-19.
"Last night, my Government, after consultations with the Kenya Medical Practitioners & Dentists Council & the Director General of Health, SEALED off Shalom Hospital in Athi River following deaths of some patients due to covid-19," the governor tweeted.
The hospital is now a quarantine facility, and no one is allowed to enter or leave the premises.
The Governor assured the public that the process of screening and testing for Covid-19, which has already begun, will take several days.
He urged citizens to be patient and to cooperate with the authorities to ensure that all health facilities are safe and free from hospital-based infections.
