President Uhuru
Kenyatta has closed Kenya-Somalia and Kenya Tanzania border for 30 days.
This comes
after counties across the borders recorded an increase of COVID-19 cases in the
past week with the cases from the said countries gradually increasing.
In the past
week the cases of COVID-19 across the borders have been soaring with Kajiado
registering a high number at the Namanga Border.
With a
majority of the cases coming from truck drivers, over 40 cases recorded this
week were from Somalia and Tanzania.
The moves
which will affect all human and vehicle transport takes effect from May 16.
The
president also noting that only cargo vehicles will be exempted on condition
that all the drivers are tested for the disease and test negative.
Somalia has
over 1200 cases and 53 fatalities while Tanzania having more that 500 confirmed
cases and 21 deaths, though Tanzania has remained silence in matters COVID-19.
With truck
drivers termed as super transmitters, the government had ordered the test of
all truck drivers coming into the country with a number of hospitals set aside
for their tests to be carried.
On Friday
Health Chief Administrator Secretary Rashid Aman said that the truck drivers
are the weak link in the fight against the pandemic and that all have to be tested
and certified.
This comes
when the number of cases have since been increasing gradually as 49 more people
testing positive as at Saturday, increasing the national tally to 840.
The ministry
of health recorded 5 more deaths, bringing the fatality rate to 50.
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