Don't pay upkeep while at isolation centres - Muhuri

Muslim for Human Rights (Muhuri) wants the High Court to compel the government to take up the bill incurred by people put in mandatory quarantine in State hospitals and facilities over Covid-19 pandemic.

The group also wants the court to issue orders to suspend upkeep payments by those in quarantine. They are unhappy the government is forcing people to pay Sh2,000 at their facilities notwithstanding the prevailing economic situation with massive job losses, which have taken away possible means of earning a living due to the government restraints put in place.

Yesterday Muhuri Chairman Khelef Khalifa said it was incumbent on the government to bear all costs and expenses related to the fight against Covid-19 as expressly stipulated by the provisions of section 27 of the Public Health Act.

He said the government, besides its own resources and emergency kitty, has received funding from the World Health Organisation to the tune of Sh7 billion towards the fight against Covid-19.

“The government has financial capacity to fully control and suppress the coronavirus without forcing citizens to pay for their upkeep once placed under mandatory quarantine,” said Khalifa.

The group wants an order to compel adherence and compliance by all government health facilities hosting quarantined persons of the health guidelines.

“The sanitary and hygiene conditions of most government health facilities are not only deplorable and hazardous as far as health issues are concerned, but they do not meet the Ministry of Health mandatory guidelines on control and prevention of Covid-19. They act as breeding grounds or conduits for unabated spread of coronavirus from infected persons to the others,” said Khalifa.

Khalifa also wants security and law enforcement personnel barred from carrying out arbitrary arrests and unjustifiable mandatory quarantine of persons not suspected of being carriers of Covid-19.

“In absence of reasonable grounds police arrest otherwise healthy and Covid-19 free persons to be mandatory quarantined in breach of applicable provisions of the Public Health Act and regulations concerning the control and suppression of Covid-19,” said Khalifa.

He added people found breaking the curfew rules are taken into compulsory quarantine.