COVID-19: Safaricom re-opens shop, over 200 contacts traced

Out of possible thousands of primary and secondary contacts from the Meru Safaricom shop last week’s 13 cases of Covid-19 infections, 262 had been traced by Monday.

Meru county Health Department said the 262 had been asked to take the Covid-19 tests and advised to self-quarantine awaiting their results.

Department’s Chief Officer Dr James Kirimi said they estimated the secondary contacts would run into thousands once all those who had either visited the Safaricom shop or had interaction with the 34 staff working there are accounted for.

The shop also reopened on Monday with staff mobilized from other branches around the Mount Kenya region according to acting manager Onesmus Mulu.

The initial tests which discovered the 13 positive cases last week had been done at a private testing facility.

The 13 positive cases were in addition to the initial case in the office which had been detected on Monday last week prompting the company to close down the branch.

All the 14 positive cases which have been isolated at the Meru Level 5 Hospital remain asymptomatic – meaning they are not showing any signs of the disease - and are in good health according to the Health Department officials.

According to medical officers, the first of Covid-19 infection at the Safaricom shop had reported over 30 primary contacts underlining the enormity of the numbers which needed to be traced.

The officials spoke at the Meru County Headquarters where Safaricom Foundation presented donations worth Sh3 million to Governor Kiraitu Murungi.

The donation included personal protection equipment (PPEs) for medical workers including surgical masks and sanitisers.

Deputy governor Titus Ntuchiu hailed the company for being one of the biggest donors to the county government.