Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Wednesday, March 4 held a meeting with the Council of Governors over the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that has so far killed over 3,000 people in various countries.
Kagwe warned the Governors that the threat of the virus spreading to Kenya was real, stressing the importance of approaching a potential outbreak as a matter of when, not if.
The CS revealed details of ongoing co-operation between the national government and devolved units to put in place structures and co-ordinate efforts intended to keep Kenyans safe from the dreaded virus.
"Counties have already started working on this thing, it is a question of the proper co-ordination that we need and the standards we need to set for the creation of isolation wards and how we will transfer those people.
"Some people have already reserved special ambulances so that we know that they are able to transport these individuals but we are also cascading this process downwards so that even the chiefs, sub-chiefs and police must be ready in any eventuality, of how to isolate and secure certain areas," he asserted.
Kagwe reiterated that none of several suspected cases in the country had tested positive for the virus.
He cited Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua as one of the county bosses who were already putting in place various prevention measures.
"We have already designated two locations as isolation wards for treatment and have procured the essential medicines required for managing the disease. We already have kits to be worn by our health workers and currently have 15 Machakos health workers in intensive training on how to deal with the corona virus disease. We are working on getting more supplies of essential kits and medicines.
"We have set aside two modern ambulances to be used to ferry any patients suspected to be ill or who have been infected with the virus. We have a 24 hour surveillance team that had been ensuring the 11 people in Mavoko, who recently came from China, are in self-quarantine.
"My government has also set aside 200 acres of land for the emergency construction of a quarantine camp or isolation centre and are embarking on civil works soon as we prepare for a worst-case scenario," Mutua had earlier announced on Wednesday, March 3.
Kagwe further disclosed that he expected an isolation ward set up at the Mbagathi Hospital in Nairobi to be ready by Thursday, March 4.
In addition, he revealed that training for health workers on how to deal with suspected cases of the Coronavirus was ongoing in Naivasha and Machakos.
Kagwe also warned Kenyans against sharing unverified information about the virus, noting that they faced the prospect of long jail terms.
"I think it is also important for people to know that once you have sambazad (shared) information, it doesn't matter who sent it to you, you are guilty of that offence. It is you who is guilty because you are the one who is spreading it," he cautioned.
Kagwe confirmed that the Treasury had released funds to support the efforts with the World Bank also agreeing to offer financial support.
Watch part of his press conference below:
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