The government is considering publicizing the identities of patients who escape from quarantine and isolation facilities.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said this has been necessitated by the rising cases of Quarantine escapees.
Describing such individuals as a danger to society, CS Kagwe said exposing them will help alert members of the public on the risk they are exposed to.
“When we get to a point where we know some people are running away there is nothing to stop the Ministry of Health from publishing photographs in the newspapers and saying that these people have ran away from a quarantine facility and if you see them call the police or us because they are a danger to society,” said Kagwe.
The CS said six people who had tested positive for the coronavirus escaped from a facility in Turkana on Wednesday but the government managed to trace them.
He also declared that the missing contacts who had given wrong information to avoid being quarantined would still be tracked down.
“There is nothing like missing contacts, they are missing persons because we have proven over and over again we can and we do track people down. But the question is why are you waiting for us to track you down,” said Kagwe.
Home-based Care Protocol for COVID-19 Patients
At the same time, the Health CS announced that the government will launch the Covid-19 Home-based Care to ease congestion in quarantine and isolation facilities.
“With the fight against the virus continuing, we have realized that over 80 percent of our patients are asymptomatic and therefore can and maybe managed from home. If this is implemented, it will free our health facilities from congestion because we are reaching for example in Nairobi at a time when Mbagathi and KU are already getting to full status,” said Mutahi Kagwe.
“The Ministry of Health is in the process of actualizing home and community care protocols for roll out and to be implemented country wide. What this means is that a lot of people who are in Isolation facilities maybe released to be taken care of at their homes provided two things happen A) It is in accordance with new World Health Organization protocols that we are still looking at and trying to customize and domesticate to our situation. B) It has to do with the facilities that families may have and where families may not be able to self-quarantine or isolate, Government will assist in the process,” he said.
