CS Kagwe Extends Cessation of Movement in Eastleigh, Old Town

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe (centre) addresses the press in April 2020 alongside Health Director-General Patrick Amoth (behind) and Government Spokesperson Cyrus Oguna (right)
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe (centre) addresses the press in April 2020 alongside Health Director-General Patrick Amoth (behind) and Government Spokesperson Cyrus Oguna (right)
File

The National Emergency Response Committee on Coronavirus has announced the extension of the cessation of movement in and out of Eastleigh and Mombasa Old Town.

Speaking during the daily Covid-19 brief Afya House on Wednesday, May 20, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe explained that the move was aimed at further curbing the spread of the virus.

The new order is expected to bar movement in and out of the two areas until June 6, 2020.

"We have also continued to see the rise across the counties and therefore arising from this situation and in order to contain further spread of the virus, the National Emergency Response Committee on Coronavirus announces as follows.

Police officers manning a roadblock that went up in Eastleigh estate on May 7, 2020 after the government ordered a lockdown over a spike in Covid-19 cases.
Police officers manning a roadblock that went up in Eastleigh estate on May 7, 2020, after the government ordered a lockdown over a spike in Covid-19 cases.
Daily Nation

"An extension of the cessation of movement in and out of Eastleigh in Nairobi until Saturday, June 6 and an extension of the cessation of movement in and out of Old Town Mombasa in Nairobi until Saturday, June 6, 2020," stated the CS

During the address, the CS maintained that restaurants and Mosques in the above-mentioned regions would remain closed.

"In addition to that, the mosques, eateries and restaurants are to remain closed and hawking prohibited until June 6. This is essential to keep the areas contained so that we can finally bring some form of control towards those areas so that the disease does not continue spreading," he added.

He further noted that the country had recorded its highest single-day positive cases of 66 since the virus broke out in March bringing the total cases to 1,029. 

The two estates were put under partial lockdown on May 6, a move that was expected to last for 15 days.

A number of Eastleigh residents took to the streets shortly after the announcement demanding that the government provides them with daily food rations after their sources of livelihood were disrupted.

"We woke up and found we had been locked down and we were all going to Eastleigh, as usual, to look for jobs. We thought that they would only close down Eastleigh in the evening and not during the day," a resident locked out Eastleigh lamented at the time. 

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