A doctor caused panic at a shopping mall in Mombasa after he walked in full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) gear.
The medic, who is attached to the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital, allegedly arrived at the mall with a tuktuk and casually walked in alongside other shoppers.
It is his sight that caused some of the shoppers to scamper for safety. Most suspected that the medic had been placed under isolation but had managed to escape.
Other shoppers, however, confronted him and handed him over to the authorities.
Mombasa County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo warned health workers against misusing protective gear and asked them to don them in the right places.
"Observe the set guidelines in using PPEs. The personal gears should be used in areas it ought to be used to avoid risking lives of those whom you are in contact with," Kitiyo stated.
On his part, the doctor stated that he was in a rush to buy a birthday cake for his wife and in turn forgot to remove the gear.
The county commissioner also warned residents who were ignorant about the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
"Ask fellow residents if they are following set government guidelines in order to minimise the spread of COVID-19. Also, stop spreading propaganda that there is no coronavirus in the country," he warned.
As the COVID-19 cases rise in the country, the Ministry of Health has maintained that stigmatization of positive individuals is likely to undermine testing and treating efforts.
This in turn puts everyone at risk of contracting the virus.
“Our shared vulnerability to the virus should be a source of solidarity, it is the virus which is the enemy, not people with Covid-19 or those affected by it,” Dr Rashid Aman stated in a press briefing.
So far, Kenya has recorded 10,294 positive cases. Of this, 197 have passed on and 2,946 have recovered.
