Mombasa becomes the first county to abolish hand shaking over Coronavirus fear

Mombasa County is now the first among the 14 counties listed
on the Coronavirus spread risk, to set rules meant to curb the spread of the
viral flu.

The County health officials called on residents to remain
vigilant, as the county remains a major tourist attraction region in the
country, and heed the simple set rules and measures.

Among these rules include avoiding intimate actions such as
kissing, hugging and shaking hands.

Public Health Chief Officer Aisha Abubakar said that
measures such as hand washing using running water with detergent or hand
sanitisers and self-quarantine, in case of symptoms of the Covid-19 disease,
should be put to practice.

“To avert spread of the disease, let’s hi-5 instead of
shaking hands. Culturally, we are supposed to shake hands while greeting but
because of the virus lets adhere to the directive,” said Ms. Abubakar.

She called upon coast residents to inform the authority of
any tourists arriving in the region, for cross-examination to find out if they
can interact with others.

 “If you identify a
visitor from Japan and China, kindly alert us. We will come and examine them to
ascertain if we can interact with them.”

The other counties that were put on high alert by the Health
ministry over the virus are Nairobi, Kisumu, Kiambu, Uasin Gishu, Kajiado,
Busia, Migori, Kilifi, Kakamega, Kajiado, Nakuru, Wajir and Garissa.

Meanwhile, the County has set up an isolation ward at the
Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital (CGTRH), to quarantine any
suspected case.

According to the County Health Executive Hazel Koitaba the
site will be used to quarantine suspected and confirmed cases of affected people.

“The site is to be used to quarantine suspected cases or to
isolate confirmed cases. It has adequate personal protective equipment and
personnel specially trained to handle cases,” said Ms Koitaba.