US Ambassador Kyle McCarter Plea to Kenyans Amid Covid-19 Crisis

US Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter has urged Kenyans to follow guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

McCarter, through Twitter on Sunday, said he had observed that only a fraction of Kenyans are wearing facemasks and maintaining social distancing as advised by the government.

"Only a fraction of the wananchi are wearing masks and social distancing.”

“None of us know the magnitude of this Wuhan flu but we must take basic known wise precautions," McCarter captioned a photo in which he is wearing a blue facemask.

He added that the mask he was wearing cost Sh25 and was “made in Kenya by Kenyans.”

"We will come back to the prosperity and culture of Kenya closeness soon," he noted.

It is mandatory for Kenyans to wear facemasks while going out in public with those found flouting this directive risking a jail term of up to six months or a fine of Sh20,000 or both.

Members of the public have also been ordered to maintain social distancing and wash their hands regularly with soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer.

The government has imposed several measures in a bid to stem the spread of the virus. They include a dusk-to-dawn curfew, restriction of movement in and out of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi counties as well as ban on all social gatherings, closure of schools, hotels, clubs, and churches.