Kenya to publish photographs of people escaping from coronavirus quarantine
London, June 5, 2020 (AltAfrica)-Kenyan government has threatened to publish identities of persons who escape from quarantine facilities to alert members of public on the risk they are exposed to, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced
Describing such individuals as a danger to society, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the government was concerned that persons placed under quarantine as well as those isolated after testing positive for COVID-19 were running away from the facilities.
He said nothing stops the Ministry of Health from publishing photographs of the escapees for the public to identify them.
“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 Health CS noted that six people who had tested positive for the coronavirus had escaped from a facility in Turkana on Wednesday but the government had managed to trace them.
He further pointed out that even for the missing contacts who had given wrong information to avoid being quarantined they 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 the CS.
He reiterated that individual responsibility is key in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, calling on the public not to hide individuals they know have escaped from quarantine facilities.
