Coronavirus: State bans public servants’ trips, urges restricted travel

Public servants have been banned from non-essential travel to countries that have been affected by coronavirus (Covid-19).

In a statement to newsrooms Thursday evening, government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna further advised the public to also avoid undertaking any non-essential travel.

The government has also directed that anyone who has returned from any affected country should self-isolate, even if they do not have symptoms. Almost 125,000 cases have now been reported to WHO, from 118 countries and territories.

“Today the President met with the National Emergency Response Committee to receive a progress report on the implementation of key preparedness and response measures undertaken so far,” said Oguna.

Mr Oguna also said that a simulation exercise meant to determine the country’s level of preparedness to handle cases of Covid-19, should there be a need to, will be carried out at Mbagathi Hospital on Sunday.

In the past two weeks, the number of cases reported outside China has increased almost 13-fold, and the number of affected countries has almost tripled, the WHO added.

Six new countries in the WHO African region have reported confirmed Covid-19 cases, namely, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, and Togo – this in addition to Algeria, Nigeria and Senegal who confirmed cases in the past week.
As of 11 March 2020, a total of 47 confirmed Covid-19 cases were reported across nine countries in the region: Algeria (20), South Africa (13), Senegal (5), Nigeria (2), Cameroon (2), Burkina Faso (2), Cote d’Ivoire (1), Democratic Republic of the Congo (1), and Togo (1). There were no deaths.
“In the rest of the African continent, a total of 66 confirmed Covid-19 cases were reported from three countries: Egypt (59), Tunisia (5) and Morocco (2),” the statement from WHO situation report noted.