Embu County has waived cess levies for all transporters of food items in a bid to bring down the cost of living during coronavirus pandemic.
Making the announcement in Embu town on Saturday, Governor Martin Wambora said the waiver will offer relief to locals at a time when economic activities have slumped due to Covid-19 crisis.
At the same time, Mr Wambora announced that health officials traced and tested 223 people for Covid-19 in a span of one month, but none tested positive for the disease.
Further, he said, 24 individuals who were recently quarantined at the Kenya School of Government tested negative for the disease.
The county launched a contact tracing app called Embu–Ehealth to aid in surveillance of people linked to suspected cases.
“Members of the public are encouraged to download Embu–Ehealth on their smartphones for easy tracking of all exposed individuals,” Mr Wambora said.
Other preventive measures that the county has implemented include the installation of a sanitising tunnel in Rupingazi and establishment of six road blocks where travelled entering into the region are screened.
In addition, the governor said the county will continuously equip frontline healthcare staff with personal protective equipment.
