Coronavirus: Vihiga residents asked to pick their dead from county mortuary free of charge, bury immediately

Vihiga Governor Dr. Wilber Otichillo has waived mortuary fees for bodies lying at the county referral hospital morgue, to allow the residents pick and bury them immediately.

This the Governor says is part of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus through unnecessary gathering at funeral ceremonies.

“We are requesting our people to come pick bodies of their loved ones from our mortuary free of charge for immediate burial,” the Governor said.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, a Select Committee led by Governor Ottichilo said the county had set aside Ksh.20 million through the Contingency Fund to combat the spread of the coronavirus, adding that further engagement with the national government continues for more financial support.

To further curb the transmission of COVID-19, the Vihiga County Government has suspended all market days until further notice.

Nightclubs have also been directed to suspend operations for the next 30 days with clients visiting various entertainment joints being encouraged to keep one-meter social distance.

Matatu operators, business premises and social joints have been directed to provide hand-washing points and sanitizers or risk closure.

Dr. Ottichilo also stated that hand-washing points have been placed at entrance centers to public offices to facilitate frequent hand-washing guidelines.

To handle any symptoms of the virus, an isolation unit has been set up at the Vihiga County Referral with the hospital’s hotlines (0798638872 and 0711489604) open for anyone with an enquiry or report.

Visitors entering the facility are also being screened, leaving nothing to chance. Health workers in sub county hospitals have been trained on identification and referral of patients with symptoms similar to those of Covid-19.

Following the recent closure of all schools in the country, parents are requested to ensure that their children do not roam or visit relatives and friends.