President Uhuru Kenyatta has extended the Nationwide dusk to dawn curfew as well as the cessation of movement in and out of Nairobi for a further 30 days even as Kenyans looked forward to the full reopening of the economy. However, the President said the night curfew will now start from 9 pm to 4 am in the morning a move that will allow people to work for the normal 8 hours during the day.
The cessation of movement into and out of the Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Mombasa and Mandera counties will continue for the next 30 days in accordance with the advice from National Security Council. While addressing the nation from Statehouse, the president lifted the cessation of movement into and out of Kilifi and Kwale Counties as well movement ban into and out of Eastleigh and Oldtown. The President acknowledged that the measures that had been put in place have greatly helped to stop the spread of the disease.
“If we had not taken the stringent measures we did in March 2020, the rate of infections would have peaked to 800,000 people by July 30, 2020. If one infected person has the potential to infect two people, this number would have hit 2.4 million people in 21 days.” The President said. The President also announced the ban on all gatherings for another one month while the gradual reopening of schools is now set in September.
Uhuru has tasked the Ministry of Interior and that of Health together with an inter-faith council to develop protocols of reopening of places of worship. The ban on international flights has also been extended due to the continued spread of the disease globally.
Further, the President has confirmed 126 new infections bringing the total number of infections in the country to 2,600.
Four more people have succumbed to the disease raising the number of deaths to 83.
Globally coronavirus infections stand at 6,862,700 while the deaths are now at 398,496
