Covid19 – Gov

Dear Friends of Chiral Afrique Tours & Travel,

We are pleased to announce that we are back and it is great that this coincides with the resumption of domestic flights and then in two weeks’ time the international flights will also resume – on 01^st August 2020.

We in the hospitality industry have put measures to ensure that we protect our customers every time they interact with us.

We as the operator and agent always connect the consumer to various services like – airplanes, hotel rooms, lounges, restaurants and vehicles. We have in the past two months been checking and putting measures as well as identifying service providers that we can trust with our clients.

The good news for you the (consumer) is that service providers are now offering attractive special deals that would have otherwise not been available at this time of the year.

Click here Send me the Deals to contact us and get the latest deals available.

Here below are the updated restrictions and what different service providers have done to ensure safety:

• Airports are well labelled and space stickers are on all floors at check-in and the luggage bay to ensure passengers always keep distance when queuing for check-in and to collect luggage.
• Boarding of flights is in smaller groups and boarding begins from the last row to the first and when disembarking from the flight this begins from the first row to last to reduce chances of contact.
• Temperature checks at the airport entry points and during check-in – temperatures above 37.5 means you may be denied boarding of flight.
• Wear a mask when going to the airport and carry an extra one with you.
• Airlines now have installed modern and powerful air filters that clean the air and rid it of allergens and germs including viruses. The air is renewed every three minutes.
• Inside the flight, there are temporary changes on presentation, packaging and options available for dining and drink service.
• Some airlines like Emirates now have contactless menus and you make your order by scanning a QR code.
• You will now not see print media – newspapers and magazines in most of the airlines but rather a link to read the articles online.
• Most airlines will now require you to have a Covid-19 free certificate – (PCR test is recommended).
• You will need to now have understood and met restrictions put in place by the destination you are visiting which means you must now research and have the destination restrictions clear to you before you purchase your flight and board.
• Passengers will now need to be at the airport at least – 4 hours before the flight
• Check-in counters will now close one and half hours earlier to allow enough time for the actual boarding.
• Other destination health requirements that existed earlier will continue to exist.
• Domestic flights within Kenya will not require Covid-19 test.
• Not all airlines will be able to ensure social distance for their seat arrangements because if the flights carry too few people, they might not be able to fly on some routes as cost would far out-way the revenue.

• Drivers carrying passengers are now required to have protective gear and a covid-19 free certificate.
• Our vehicles are deep cleaned with disinfectant after each trip.
• Guests are spaced – out in the cars ensuring social distancing measures are put in place.
• All guests must wear a mask at all times when being driven to their hotel or place of residence.

Hotels have put in place strict sanitary and hygiene measures for the protection of guests and staff members.

• Staff members are required to wear masks at all times, always sanitize after transacting or touching surfaces and wear gloves at all times when at work.
• Guests are subject to temperature checks at check-in
• Guests must sanitize their hands always before accessing the establishment.
• Guests must always wear masks when in public places at the premises.
• All staff members serving guests should have tested negative for covid-19.
• Rooms should be deep cleaned, professionally disinfected and aired before guests arrive with a minimum of 24 hours between bookings.
• Hotels are required to adopt contactless check-in and payment options.
• Restaurant staff must have covid-19 free certification and always wear masks when serving patrons.
• Most restaurants are encouraged to implement contactless menus – (on going).

The reality is that – Covid-19 has not yet been contained in Kenya as it is in many countries worldwide rather most people now have an understanding of what kind of disease we are facing and basic ways to prevent infection thanks to the robust campaigns conducted by the Kenya government to ensure high level of civil education on the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are glad that the government is honest and that they report all new cases and give citizens statistics on a daily basis to keep them informed and advise them on new measures from time to time.

The government is therefore urging citizens to take personal responsibility more seriously.

The message is a simple – 3W of: –

Where a mask
Watch your distance
Wash your hands

Let’s help break the chain by washing hands, keep distance of one and half meters and wearing your mask at all times when at work and in public places.

Authorities and businesses will take steps and put measures to their best ability to deter spread of the virus but you must take measures as an individual to ensure you keep safe at all times.

While the citizens will be taking personal responsibility, the government will push for – increasing capacity of health services and a rigorous effort of ITTIT:

I – identify those exposed
T – trace them
T – test them
I – isolate those found positive
T – Treat them

This will effectively break the chain and ensure not so many people get sick at the same time and that the healthcare facilities and human resources available will be able to cater for any persons who get critically ill from the pandemic before a cure or vaccine is discovered.

The president while re-opening the country on – 6^th July 2020 also gave directive to leaders of the 47 counties in Kenya to ensure they have a minimum of 300 bed capacity in their counties.

It’s vital that testing, whether it’s PCR or antibodies, is ramped up as much as possible to provide clear evidence on what is happening and where we should be going and the Kenya Government continues to conduct tests and report the numbers daily as per WHO requirements.

Effectively then, the country reopened and you can go about your business because life must go on and the pandemic will be here for the long-haul. Responsibility is therefore upon you to take all measures when going about your day to day activities to ensure you don’t catch the virus.

However on a positive note, many Kenyans are taking the disease seriously and in addition with our government system of having county governments where the heads of counties report to the COG – Council of Governors ensures that the entire country is moving forward in one accord ensuring health facilities are revamped and a number of new infections are kept in check whilst informing the national government incase of any sharp increase in the numbers and therefore what directives to pass.

HOME BASED CARE – HBC – For the Asymptomatic Covid-19 Patients: –

The government recognizes that the disease can escalate rapidly although up to 80% would be asymptomatic which has led the authorities to push for homebased care for the asymptomatic instead of being placed in a hospital institution.

HBC – being the management of a sick but relatively stable patient in a home setting under the supervision of a trained health care worker.

HBC – is now being recommended by the Kenya government as it is 9 times cheaper than hospitalization and will ensure that the existing health facilities are not overstretched.

Kenyans or foreigners who test positive and are looking to utilize – Home Based Care must meet minimum requirements of: –

• Someone looking for home based care must be confirmed positive – (PCR test).
• Has available extra room at home that is well ventilated.
• The individual has no pre-existing life-threatening conditions.
• Must have a care giver to assist them during their recovery period.
• There must not be any other family friend or relative in the house who has life threatening conditions or is above the age of 60.

Home based care as stated by the government has been used before during the early days of HIV pandemic and achieved great success.

The government has so far recruited and trained over – 30,000 community health volunteers to support home based care during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Government and Airlines Recommend – PCR testing: –

PCR testing is a test meant to detect the genetic information of the virus, the RNA. You can only detect that if truly the virus is present and the patient is actively infected.

PCR tests directly detect the presence of an antigen rather than the presence of the body’s immune response or antibodies. Therefore, PCR tests are preferred by service providers and immigration authorities the world-over because by detecting the viral-RNA which will be present in the body before antibodies form or symptoms of the disease are present the tests can therefore tell accurately whether or not someone has the virus very early on.

The Numbers of Covid-19 Infections in Kenya

18.08.2020

For the third consecutive day, Kenya recorded less than 300 daily cases, signalling hope for a country that had hit the roof with more than 500 new infections daily.

Tests Done – 4019
New cases – 271
Recoveries – 208
Deaths – 5

Mortality rate today = 1.85%
Infection rate today = 6.8%
Recovery rate today = 5.0%

Total tests done – 398,585
Total confirmed – 30,626
Total recovered – 17,368
Total deaths – 487

Total mortality rate = 1.6%
Total infection rate = 7.7%
Total recovery rate = 57%

Click this link for current numbers https://covid19.who.int/region/afro/country/ke by WHO.