Kenya is not taking the easy way out when it comes to Covid. The Ministry of Health has banned the unvaccinated from public places, public transport, government buildings and other places. The positivity rate in Kenya was 29.7% as of Wednesday 22 December.
Ban announced since November
The reason for the decision by the ministry concerned is that the contagion has gone from 1% in early December to 29.7% as of Wednesday. The population is being contaminated at lightning speed. Out of 11,197 tests conducted on Wednesday, 3328 people have tested positive.
Mercy Mwangangi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health announced that “in public spaces, all people must show proof of vaccination to enter, for example natural parks, animal reserves, hotels, bars as well as public transport“, and then recalled that any non-compliance with these measures will be punishable by law.
The ban had been announced by the Kenyan Ministry of Health in November that it would eventually take effect on 21 December. However, this measure was strongly criticised by groups such as Human Rights Watch and was even prevented by a court ruling pending a hearing, but the measure remained in force despite this court ruling.
Rwanda on the same track
Kenya remains alarmed that more than 270,000 cases have been recorded in the country since the start of the pandemic and that around 80 countries have reported the presence of Omicron. In December, Rwanda had imposed a quarantine on travellers and a three-week ban on the use of public transport in Kigali by unvaccinated people.
Mauritius – Omicron quarantine soon to be imposed?
In Mauritius, quarantine of Omicron-infected people could become a reality. This could be a start with this case. A Mauritian couple preparing for a business trip has tested positive for Covid 19 in their PCR test required before departure. In self-isolation, they were contacted by the Ministry of Health who ‘invited’ them to quarantine at the Pointe-aux-Piments rehabilitation centre. Following a sequencing exercise on their samples, they were found to be infected with Omicron. The couple is questioning the disclosure of their samples and how they became infected with this variant when they have not yet travelled abroad. Contraction on the territory is a plausible hypothesis.
