Senator battling Covid-19 loses brother to the virus

Meru Senator Mithika Linturi (pictured) who is battling Covid-19 has lost his younger brother to the pandemic.

Linturi broke the news of his brother’s death on Tuesday evening saying the sibling had died while undergoing treatment in a Nairobi based hospital where he had been admitted for days.

“As a family, this news is devastating and we ask for your prayers during this difficult period,” Linturi who is recuperating from a Covid-19 disease posted on social media saying arrangements for his brother’s sendoff were being made.

The deceased, Charles Kinyua Linturi, worked at the senator’s construction company and was described by most acquaintances as friendly and outgoing. He leaves behind a young family.

The Linturi’s are among the prominent Meru leaders and business elite who have been infected in recent weeks as the pandemic spread alarmingly in the area.

Others who have battled the infection include one member of the National Assembly. The deceased include three prominent businessmen operating in Nkubu township in South Imenti and Dr Faith Miriti who worked at the Meru Level 5 Hospital.

On Tuesday, the Meru county government announced a three-week closure for all services except emergency and critical operations until December 7 to stem a growing tide of infections.

"All departments shall suspend their operations for the stated period, except those that that are offering critical services, namely; Health department, Emergency Services, Environment/Cleaning Services, Enforcement and Finance that will retain a skeleton staff," Governor Kiraitu Murungi announced.

Sources in the county government said the move was after many employees in one unit that offers regular support services to the governor's office tested positive after staff were asked to take mandatory tests.

"In this unit, 12 of the 16 staffers turned positive although all are asymptomatic at the moment," said the source.

Kiraitu said North Imenti sub county which is the area where Meru town headquarters are located was leading in the number of positive cases reported in the county.

So far, the county had tested 3,935 samples with 619 turning positive.

As of Tuesday, 46 people had died of Covid-19 in the region.