The Ministry of Health has declared 13 counties in western Kenya a COVID-19 hotspot zone following a spike in COVID-19 infections.
The Lake Basin region will undergo the dusk to dawn curfew beginning 7:00 pm until 4:00 am, effective June 18, 2021.
“…the Counties of Busia, Vihiga, Kisii, Nyamira, Kakamega, Kericho, Bomet, Bungoma, Trans-Nzoia, Kisumu, Siaya, Homa-Bay and Migori are individually and collectively declared as a COVID-19 hotspot zone,” said Cabinet Secretary for Health Mutahi Kagwe.
Movement in and out of the region will remain restricted unless for emergency and essential purposes, said Kagwe.
According to MoH, the 13 counties have been declared a COVID-19 hotspot zone after registering a positivity rate of 21 percent against a national average of 9 percent.
“Except for essential and emergency services, movement between the hotspot Zone and the rest of the country is strongly discouraged,” reads the statement.
All forms of physical/congressional worship (churches, mosques, temples and shrines) in the hotspot counties have also been suspended for a period of 30 days.
On Thursday, Kenya recorded 660 cases of coronavirus from a sample size of 6,176 tested in the last 24 hours, pushing the country’s positivity rate to 10.7 percent.
Out of 660, Siaya had the highest and recorded 123 coronavirus cases, Kisumu 102, Nairobi 78, Busia 68, Homa Bay 49, Mombasa 39, Kilifi 19, Nyamira 18, Kakamega 17.
Six patients have succumbed to the disease pushing cumulative fatalities in the country to 3,434.
