Nyeri will step up screening of people getting into the county if the President eases restrictions of movement into and out of Nairobi next week.
Nairobi and Mombasa have been on partial lockdown and it is likely that President Uhuru Kenyatta will lift the movement ban next week.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, therefore, said on Wednesday that they will intensify efforts against Covid-19 at its eight entry points. They are also working towards achieving the 350 isolation beds. He said they have 340 already.
Kahiga said it is unlikely that the President will completely open up the country following a surge in cases.
“Going by the way the numbers are shooting, I don’t think we are going to have a complete opening of the country,” he said.
He called on Kenyans not to be in a hurry to have the economy opened completely until the situation is under control. The county chief said the President has been consulting on a daily basis, including a meeting he virtually had with governors.
“And we are still telling the President that it is not yet time to open schools until we are able to test the pupils and teachers and determine the level of risk,” Kahiga said.
He proposed that the restrictions be eased gradually to prevent a spike in transmissions. Kahiga said since the county started monitoring temperatures at the entry points in early April, which is done from 8am to 5pm daily, more than 800,000 have gone to Nyeri.
He admitted that more will come if the restrictions are lifted.
On Tuesday, Othaya MP Gichuki Mugambi also expressed fears of increased Covid-19 cases in rural areas if the restriction of movement is lifted.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected the economy, and we expect that many people who lost their livelihoods may start moving from Nairobi to this area,” Mugambi said.
The legislator urged residents to be vigilant and strictly adhere to guidelines put in place by the government if restrictions are lifted. He also appealed to farmers to step up their activities’ as they may need to support their relatives who have lost jobs until the economy stabilises.
For Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu, there is no need to reschedule KCPE and KCSE exam because of the virus. He posted on his Facebook page that KCPE and KCSE exams are to test what a pupil or student has learnt for eight years or four years, respectively.
“This means they have covered 22 out of a total of 24 terms (91%) and 10 out of a total of 12 terms (83%) respectively. We also know most schools are ahead of schedule in the last year to allow for revision,” Wambugu said.
The MP said even if they do not resume classroom learning this year, they have already covered most of what they needed to have learnt by the time they were to sit their exams.
“So why can’t the Ministry of Education set the KCPE and KCSE exams to cover the 90% the children had already covered rather than rearrange the lives of millions of children because of a 10% portion of study they did not cover due to circumstances beyond everyone’s control?” he posed.
Edited by F'Orieny