The Kilifi County Covid-19 Emergency Response Committee has suspended all football and other sporting activities in the region until the covid-19 positive cases go down. – By Ramadhan Kambi.
The committee co-chaired by Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi and County Commissioner Kutswa Olaka said that the soaring number of covid-19 positive cases had reached an alarming level in the county and stringent measures must be put in place to avert a looming disaster.
Governor Kingi said that even after the committee had earlier on announced measures to curb the spread of the pandemic, Kilifi residents ignored them hence a surge in infections in the region.
“When we announced measures to address this pandemic, many people ignored this but you can now see the outcome.
It is getting into an alarming level and because of that, we have suspend all sporting tournaments in the county. We believe that these are among the gatherings that fuel the spread of the pandemic. We don’t want to risk our people,” said the Governor.
Mr Kingi said that politicians had formed a habit of organizing leagues without understanding that the same leagues are equally to gatherings that were banned because of continued spread of the virus.
“We are doing this not because we don’t love sports or entertainment but the timing is wrong. IF these positive case figures go down, then we shall resume but now we want all our politicians to stop their gatherings and also stop sponsoring these sporting activities,” he added.
County Commissioners Kutswa Olaka said more than 900 people have been arrested in different areas for going against the ministry of health Covid-19 protocols. Most of these people he said have wither been taken to court, charged and released.
However Mr Olaka said that they will concentrate more on sensitization meetings other than arresting culprits.
“We shall have a lot of sensitization meetings, talk to people and not just arresting them because we have discovered that even arresting them will just add another problem,” said Mr Olaka.
Kilifi County has seen an increase in covid-19 cases, in what is believed to be ignorance of the locals to take covid-19 protocols with the much needed seriousness.
