Kenya: Kisumu factory makes masks to meet virus demand

Kenyan authorities have made it compulsory for everyone to wear a face mask in public or risk a fine or even jail time, according to officials.

Factories are busy manufacturing masks, mostly for domestic consumption as the demand grows.

One factory in the western city of Kisumu, which used to manufacture reusable sanitary towels, is now making reusable and washable masks.

To keep up with demand, production is also going up.

"From the two hundred (face masks) we were making per day, we raised to five hundred per day, and today we are making one thousand per day," said  Monica Ogutu the executive director of the Kisumu Medical and Education Trust (KMET) where the masks are made for approximately a dollar each.

The East African country has reported 216 confirmed cases so far, including nine deaths.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. 

But it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death for some people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.