This archive report was first published on 8 July 2020.
As the government delays the reopening of schools until January 2021, Minet Kenya has taken proactive measures to minimize the risk of Covid-19 infections among teachers.
With the current spike in infections reaching 8,250 as of July 8th, teachers with pre-existing medical conditions and those over 58 are particularly vulnerable to the virus.
Minet Kenya has launched an online portal and a free SMS code 20207# to enable the nearly 300,000 members of the teachers' medical scheme and their beneficiaries to report any cases of the Coronavirus.
According to Minet Kenya Chief Executive Officer Sammy Muthui, the initiative was necessary to comply with government directives on minimizing personal interactions.
The online portal and SMS code allow teachers to report cases without visiting Minet Kenya's offices, reducing exposure to the virus.
Minet Kenya has also set up a team of health and safety members to receive cases and provide guidelines to teachers.
Additionally, the company has recommended to hospitals to consider alternative methods of identifying patients, such as access cards, optical, facial, and voice recognition, to reduce exposure.
Minet Kenya has also instructed service providers to allow teachers use one-time pin (OTP) and cards or e-card for identification in place of fingerprints.
