Kagwe: French national who tested positive for covid-19 critical

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe accompanied by the National Emergency Response committee brief the media at Harambee House on the development of the Coronavirus. [Stafford Ondego/Standard]

A French national who tested positive for the coronavirus is in critical condition.

In his Sunday evening address, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said the government is making arrangements to have the patient airlifted from Msambweni, Kwale County to Nairobi for further treatment.

CS Kagwe has also confirmed that a senior Kilifi County official who defied the self-quarantine directive is among the additional eight cases confirmed today.

To this, Kagwe said that the official will face prosecution for failure of complying with the guidelines.

“All persons who violate the self-quarantine requirement will be forcefully quarantined at their own cost and thereafter arrested and charged. This will apply to a senior government official in Kilifi who refused to self-quarantine,” Kagwe said.

Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai also emphasised the need for self-quarantine, saying those who do not practice it risk being charged.

Earlier, Kilifi Deputy Governor Gideon Saburi was forcefully placed under 14-day isolation after he refused to self-quarantine. Saburi had returned home from a trip to Germany.

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi said in a statement that the patient had already been taken into isolation, and provided names and contacts of those he came into direct contact with.

“We have already identified all county staff who came into contact with the patient and have ordered them to undergo self-quarantine for 14 days,” Kingi said.

Governor Kingi added that he is also under self-quarantine since last week Thursday, seeing as he was in contact with the patient.

“The emergency team visited me, took my tests which turned out negative. I will continue self-quarantining until the expiry of the mandatory 14 days,” he said.

Kenya now has 15 confirmed coronavirus cases. Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said the government is working round the clock to trace 363 people who came into contact with the infected. The patients are said to have arrived in the country between March 4 and 17.

In its newest tough measures to curb the spread of the pandemic, the government has suspended all international flights from Wednesday, March 25.

Church services, prayers in mosques and all public gatherings have been banned until further notice.

State has also directed that funerals be attended by not more than 15 family members.

All bars will remain closed starting tonight, to reduce the spread of Covid-19, while restaurants have been advised to offer take-away services.