Kilifi County Governor, Amason Kingi, has self-quarantined, confirming that he came into contact with his deputy who tested positive for coronavirus.
Mr. Kingi issued the statement hours after the Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe confirmed that the Kilifi Deputy Governor, Mr. Gideon Saburi, faces arrest and prosecution for allegedly refusing to self-quarantine.
"I have placed myself on self-quarantine starting Thursday, March 19, 2020. I also had the emergency response team visit me at my home to collect a specimen for testing. I got my results and they turned negative," said Mr. Kingi.
Mr. Saburi was quarantined forcibly following his arrest earlier in the week.
"I want to confirm that the patient has already been taken into isolation. We have already identified all county staff who came into direct contact with the patient and we have ordered them to go on mandatory self-quarantine for fourteen days during which period very close supervision will be undertaken by our trained medical personnel and enforcement officers to ensure strict compliance, " said Mr. Kingi.
Further, the governor said his deputy also provided authorities with the names of those with whom he had direct contact with since he jetted back into the country from his Germany trip.
In response, the governor said he has deployed emergency response teams across the county to trace all the contacts listed by Mr. Saburi.
"Following the confirmation of one case of coronavirus in Kilifi County as communicated by the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Health, Hon. Mutahi Kagwe, my government is scaling up efforts to ensure the safety of our people from the spread of this virus," said Mr. Kingi.
Those who came into contact with Mr. Saburi are expected to self-quarantine for 14 days or forced isolation and prosecution for endangering the lives of others.
Mr. Kingi admitted he came into direct contact with his deputy governor hence his self-isolation.
