Kenyan authorities said they may deploy “radical approaches” to the spread of coronavirus after three police officers based at Nairobi’s Kamukunji Police Station tested positive for Covid-19.
30 other officers have also been isolated for contacting the 3 police officers who have already been sent into quarantine.
This comes amid concerns that police and prisons warders remain the most vulnerable to exposure to the disease because of the nature of their work.
Already, there have been several scares of the disease among correction centers with cases being reported among prisoners.
It is also reported that dozens of prisoners have since contracted covid-19 though police and prison authorities say they do not know the exact number of personnel who have contracted the disease.
There are more than 100 officers based at the station. Their houses and police premises were fumigated on Friday as part of efforts to stop further spread.
“If need be, we will adopt and deploy more radical approaches to prevent the spread of the virus within our correctional facilities” -Director of Public Health Francis Kuria said on Friday.
One of the officers and his family is quarantined in his house while the other two are at Kenyatta University Hospital Quarantine Centre and Mbagathi Hospital respectively.
After truck drivers and health workers, police and prison warders in Kenya are the other vulnerable group due to the nature of their work.
Even though police and prison authorities do not have the exact number of their personnel who have contracted the disease and are either recovering or have healed, insiders said dozens are affected.
The suspension of all visits to prison stations, Borstal institutions and youth corrective training centers have also proved effective in mitigating the spread of the virus to the prison population but authorities say they may consider tougher measures.
By Friday, Kenya had registered 4,374 confirmed cases of coronavirus, 119 deaths due to COVID-19 and 1550 recoveries.