Bungoma County is not listed among the 14 high risk Counties in the country, a notion that has been faulted by Governor Wycliffe Wangamati. The County boss has noted that Bungoma’s position as a border town with Lwakhakha entry point and Malaba gives it every reason to take precautions to ensure the health of its people is not compromised. “It is for this reason that we ask the national government to include Bungoma in the cluster of the high risks Counties so as to ensure the County is adequately equipped to handle any outbreak,” he said.
Governor Wangamati added that measures have been put in place to deal with cases, “The Department of Health and Sanitation has laid out measures to manage the outbreak should it emerge. We want to assure members of the public that the department of health is prepared to act swiftly and decisively to ensure there is no threat of the spread of the virus in the County,” he noted.
He asked the members of the public to look out for the signs and seek immediate medical intervention in the nearest medical facility should they be seen.
He said that an isolation ward has been set up at the Webuye Sub County Hospital for the management of any case that may be reported within its borders. “A select number of staff have been selected and are undergoing training by the national government on how best to manage the pandemic,” he said.
Bungoma County Commissioner Dr. Abdi Hassan has ordered all entertainment places to close down until further notice, calling on the public not to hold any form of meetings.
“I would want to pass a warning to every resident that we will not allow any form of meetings to go on be it birthday parties, and disco matangas,” he warned.
He called on the bereaved to mourn their loved ones and not shake hands saying there should be proper ways of making sure people access water to wash their hands.
Members of the public are encouraged to:
• Practice hand washing at all times. It is recommended that members of the public wash their hands for a minimum of 20 seconds at every given moment with soap and running water.
• Practice high level of personal hygiene
• Avoid the shaking of hands
• Avoid any body contact
• Avoid public gathering of whatever kind
• Avoid partaking of any cold food or drinks
• Avoid unnecessary movements
• Practice etiquette while in public, like ensuring they cover their mouths while sneezing or coughing, ensure to sanitize shared facilities.
• Adhere to instructions and advice given by institutions. Several schools have called off their AGM meetings for instance and it will be prudent for members of the public to follow instructions as given.
• All public facilities are encouraged to provide running water and soap for public use.
• All religious institutions are instructed to provide soap and running water in their places of worship. Crusades and religious meetings remain banned in the meantime.
To date, Bungoma County has not reported any single case of corona virus and therefore members of the public are urged not to panic but instead exercise caution for themselves, their families and society at large.
In case of any suspicious case, members of the public are encouraged to use the toll free security lines
0755 83 88 35
0726 32 31 12