Friday, October 23, 2020 – Health Cabinet Secretary, Mutahi Kagwe, is currently in talks with 20 hotels across the country, begging them to admit Covid-19 patients after hospitals were overwhelmed by the surge in coronavirus cases.
In a meeting held at Afya House on Friday, Kagwe told the hoteliers to take in Covid-19 patients and their contacts for isolation to take the pressure off hospitals.
At least 40 hotels that were engaged as quarantine or isolation centres in May have since terminated the partnership and resumed normal business.
“We’re now back to negotiating with private hotels to charge the bare minimum for patients in isolation. We just do not want hospitals to be overwhelmed,” Kagwe told journalists
By Thursday, the health facilities had admitted 1,121 Covid-19 patients, while 3,112 were under home-based care, with the numbers rising rapidly every day.
Despite the rising numbers, the Covid-19 National Emergency Response Committee yesterday advised against another national lockdown.
Amref Health Africa boss Githinji Gitahi, a member of the committee, said a lockdown cannot be a long-term response strategy.
“We only closed to prepare. Lockdowns cannot be a long-term response strategy. We must reopen the economy, understanding we’re now better prepared,” he said.
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