This archive report was first published on 23 June 2021.
As Covid-19 cases surge in neighboring Tanzania, Kwale residents have been warned against complacency in adhering to Ministry of Health (MOH) measures to contain the virus.
On June 20, 2021, Kwale Deputy County Commissioner Alexander Mativo flagged off a three-day Covid-19 community sensitization campaign by the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, emphasizing the need for residents to follow all Covid-19 guidelines to prevent the virus from spreading.
Mativo expressed concern that many residents were not wearing facemasks, washing and sanitizing hands, or keeping social distances in public spaces, warning that failure to comply with MOH guidelines would put them at risk of contracting the deadly virus.
“We are strictly warning people to properly wear their facemasks whenever stepping outside their homes to stay safe from the deadly virus,” Mativo insisted.
He noted that Covid-19 surveillance had been heightened along the border with Tanzania amid threats of the virus spreading into the country, and that the county had since last year tested 6,652 people for the virus, with 640 turning positive.
Mativo assured that the county was managing the positive cases well and that the Covid-19 vaccination programme aimed at protecting the most vulnerable group was progressing well.
However, he cautioned that even with the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, people should not let down their guard, stating: “There should be no room for complacency in the fight against this disease.”
By Raymond Zaka
