President Uhuru Kenyatta. FILE PHOTO | NMG
Summary
- In making the decision, President Kenyatta noted that the pandemic remains a threat to Kenyans’ health and livelihoods despite the national positivity rate declining.
- Financial misery has engulfed many people amid the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns that have accompanied the virus.
- Kenya has 96,678 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 from 38,713 on October 5, reflecting a 149.7 percent growth.
President Uhuru Kenyatta Sunday extended nationwide night curfew to March 12 as part of measures aimed at taming the spread of Covid-19.
In making the decision, President Kenyatta noted that the pandemic remains a threat to Kenyans’ health and livelihoods despite the national positivity rate declining.
Financial misery has engulfed many people amid the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns that have accompanied the virus.
Kenya has 96,678 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 from 38,713 on October 5, reflecting a 149.7 percent growth.
Fatalities have increased to 1,685 from 718 over the same period.
But faced with an economy that shrank by 5.7 percent in the three months to June when business shut and people stayed at home, Mr Kenyatta has resisted the pressure to impose stiffer restrictions.
In early November, Mr Kenyatta extended the night curfew that was in place, and it had been due to expire on Sunday. It runs between 10pm and 4am.
A ban on political and roadside gatherings that could turn into super spreader events was also extended for another 60 days, as was a prohibition on overnight events and vigils.
When the first coronavirus cases were confirmed in Kenya in March 2020, the government closed schools, imposed a curfew, banned public gatherings and at one point restricted movement in and out of the most-affected regions.
TRAVEL NIGHTMARE
Some of the measures were eventually relaxed, and schools are expected to reopen today amid travel nightmare for learners transversing counties.
The State said it will double capacity of inter-county trains.
However, extracurricular school activities such as sports are banned for 90 days, as well as non-essential visits by parents and guardians, the President's office said.
Like other countries around the world, Kenya's tourism, education and other key sectors have been pummelled by the pandemic.
Its second-quarter economic output declined for the first time since the global financial crisis of 2008 and more than 1.7 million jobs were lost in the three months to June.
More than 1.8 million jobs were created in the three months to September, buoyed by more firms resuming operations after the easing of some restrictions imposed to stem the spread of Covid-19.
This suggests that layoffs have eased and some companies are back to hiring and recalling workers placed on leave despite a rise in coronavirus infections.
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