Coronavirus: Wetang’ula wants details of patients made public

Ford-Kenya Party leader Moses Wetang’ula wants the government to reveal the identities of persons who have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

Mr Wetang’ula said giving out the details of the patients will make it easy to trace people who might have come into contact with them.

“Noting that the virus is not adventure or misadventure disease as infections come inevitably from most unexpected association, I encourage the government not to conceal identities of our compatriots who have been found to be Covid-19 positive,” he said in a statement issued Thursday.

Kenya has confirmed seven coronavirus cases, with Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe noting that all the cases are imported.

The latest cases were confirmed Wednesday, who included a couple who travelled into the country from Madrid through Dubai on March 4 and a Burundi national who arrived on March 17 from Dubai.

“Making the identities public will help those who have associated with them for the past one or two weeks to quickly take measures and go for diagnosis to find out whether they have also contracted the virus or not,” he added.

Mr Wetang’ula further noted that although efforts by the government in dealing with the pandemic are laudable, the country should follow the lead of other countries such as Iran, United Kingdom and Brazil in revealing identities of patients of coronavirus.

Kenya has been taking bold and strategic moves to curb the further spread of the disease, including discouraging unnecessary travel, requesting people to work from home as well as suspending learning in schools and universities.

Persons coming into the country from high risk regions are also being limited. Security personnel in Mombasa on Monday night restricted two Italians on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa from disembarking at the Moi International Airport.

Meanwhile, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has called for intervening measures including a three to six month moratorium on payment of loans as well as tax breaks for struggling companies.

In a statement, Mr Musyoka said Kenyans are headed for tough times and they should be cushioned from it.

“I propose that lenders, including digital money lenders, consider a three to six-month moratorium on loan and mortgage payments,” Mr Musyoka said.

He said: “We are at war, not against an adversary with lethal weapons, but against an unforeseen foe that threatens to cripple health systems and economies.”

Mr Musyoka commended the measures taken by the government, including what he said was a re-assuring Mr Kagwe for his “outstanding performance.”