State to compel Kenyans to wear face masks as the country faces 6th Covid-19 wave
The Ministry of Health has warned of a surge in Covid-19 instances as the country enters the cold season with the resumption of the requirement to wear face masks indoors as a containment tool to combat the spread of the virus.
The Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has today said that the members of public will be compelled to wear face masks in confined spaces such as PSVs, airlines, offices, supermarkets, and places of worship.
“The sharp rise in infections should mean something to our country and we must once again take steps to prevent a slide into a crisis like the one we experienced in 2020 and 2021 when the increase in cases is so far not associated with increased hospitalisations.
The majority of cases are under the home-based care programme. We lost many lives and resources,” Kagwe said.
He additionally announced that all unvaccinated tourists coming in Kenya at any port of entry will be required to have a negative PCR test result obtained no more than 72 hours before departure. Kenya is currently fighting the sixth wave of Covid-19.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a fresh report on Covid-19 last week, categorising Kenya as one of the nations experiencing the sixth wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It is important for us to appreciate that we are faced with a number of challenges that are going to affect these numbers. The first one is that we are in a political season where everybody is out there in the open, many gatherings continuously at all times,” the CS added.
