This archive report was first published on 6 May 2020.
Published on May 6, 2020, the government cautioned the public against returning to normalcy as COVID-19 cases surged in Kenya.
On Monday, the country's caseload hit 490 after 25 new infections were confirmed in Mombasa and several estates in Nairobi.
"I dare to say these figures will continue to rise. Things are not back to normal," said Dr. Mercy Mwangangi, a Chief Administrative Secretary at the Ministry of Health.
The new cases in Nairobi were spread out in Mathare, Embakasi, Umoja, and Kawangware, which remains a hotspot since last week.
Dr. Mwangangi emphasized that the virus is now fully in the communities and the rate of infection is not going down, citing a six-month-old baby among the new infections.
The increase in cases is attributed to the mass testing initiative that kicked off last week, despite the government's concerns about low public interest in taking the test.
"We still need to maintain these containment measures. They are not for fun; this is not a child's play. There is crowding in hotels, people lining up at the cashier. We need to remind ourselves of the pictures we were seeing in other countries in February and March. Do we really want to go there?" Mwangangi posed.
