VULNERABLE PEOPLE

However, the plan to reopen the country comes at a time when a UN Habitat report has warned that the Covid-19 pandemic will hit the world's most vulnerable people hardest, including the estimated 1.2 billion people living in informal settlements worldwide.

Another report by The New Humanitarian echoes the UN agency's concerns, saying that the urban poor in informal settlements are facing enormous strain from the virus as social distancing, self-isolation and even hand washing are impossible luxuries, since they have to make the unenviable choice between catching and spreading the disease or the certainty of hunger.

However, Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) chief health officer Ouma Oluga has said they have been implementing robust health interventions to keep the spread of the virus at bay including mass testing, isolating positive cases and mapping households.

He said the ongoing mass testing is aimed at mapping out hotspots in Nairobi where more effort in terms of public health measures is supposed to be directed to as well as mopping out cases to stop community transmission by isolating positive cases from the community.

"We are concentrating on informal settlements because they are difficult to manage like access to water, proper sanitation, physical distancing and restrictions on movement as this is one of the best ways of preventing more transmissions," the health official said.