The Kwale Governor, Salim Mvurya has on Wednesday led a special sitting of the county emergency response team on coronavirus (covid-19) at the county headquarters.
Addressing the press after the meeting, Governor Mvurya assured that surveillance at the Kenya-Tanzania border in Lunga Lunga Sub County as well as at the Kwale-Mombasa county border will be bolstered to stem the spread of the contagious virus.
Mvurya said that all those entering Kwale through the Kenya-Tanzania border in Lunga Lunga are tested and put under quarantine before being allowed to join the community.
“We are also testing long distance truck drivers who use our Samburu-Kinango road on transit to Tanzania and by Monday we had tested 109 drivers,” he said.
He said they have identified most of the designated and panya routes into the county along the borders with neighbouring Tanzania and the counties of Mombasa, Kilifi and Taita Taveta and scaled up surveillance in all these routes.
At the same time, Mvurya thanked all partners and well-wishers supporting the county government of Kwale by donating food and non-food items to help cushion vulnerable communities.
The Governor said this when he received foodstuff donations from Mohammed Jaffer Foundation and Wasini Maritime Limited.
Mvurya said security teams, Nyumba kumi elders, community health workers, chiefs and village administrators have remained useful and vital in curbing illegal movements into the region.
“Through this network we have been able to put on quarantine 235 people since the outbreak of the of Covid-19 disease and urge all citizens to serve us with information whenever we see strangers in our areas or even our friends and family who cross our borders from counties put on red alert with regard to coronavirus” he said.
The county boss however, urged residents to cooperate with county public health officials and the security agencies on the ground, by ensuring that they strictly follow all the health regulations set by the national and county government to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Mvurya who was accompanied by County Commissioner (CC), Karuku Ngumo also warned those holding illegal gatherings that they will be taken on forced quarantine.
By Hussein Abdullahi
