This archive report was first published on 16 July 2020.
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Lamu County, leaders have been urged to focus on creating awareness among local communities rather than politicizing the pandemic.
Lamu Governor Fahim Yassin Twaha advised politicians to pool their resources towards providing the public with solutions to curb the spread of the pandemic, rather than desensitizing residents.
"There is need for the political leadership to steer clear off desensitizing residents over the COVID-19 crisis, as we urge residents to adhere to the Ministry of Health regulations to curb the spread of the pandemic in Lamu," Twaha said.
The county has so far recorded two COVID-19 related deaths, with cases expected to rise when mass testing gains ground.
Voluntary testing has been carried out mostly on county health workers and hotel staff, but has yet to trickle down to the general public.
"Unfortunately provisional findings reveal that residents are not strictly adhering to MOH regulations of wearing masks and social distancing," the Lamu governor said.
He decried that 70 percent of those interviewed in the survey conveyed ignorance over the need to observe the containment measures and urged locals to seriously take the preventive guidelines.
"As much as the national and county government work together, the first line of defence is the public who should be wary over the harm that the pandemic can do to our economy and quality of life," he observed.
Published on July 16, 2020.
