NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 4 – Bars in Kenya will close at 9pm from November 4 as part of measures announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta to curb the rising COVID-19 cases in the country.
The president ordered the curfew which starts at 11pm to start at 10pm until 4am.
President Kenyatta said the decision was taken due to increased infections and deaths which had gone up since August when some of the tough restrictions were lifted.
“The positivity rate has shot up four times from September,” the president said, declaring October as the “most tragic month in our fight against COVID-19.”
He said “we are now staring at a second wave of the pandemic” and urged all Kenyans to strictly follow regulations issued by the Ministry of Health.
He also ordered civil servants aged above 50 years and anyone with compromised immunity to work from home.
“We must take these measures seriously,” he said after chairing a meeting of the National Emergency Response Committee (NERC) at State House, Nairobi.
President Kenyatta directed all government meetings to be held virtually so as to protect public servants and members of the public visiting their offices.
Schools which were closed in March will now re-open in January 2021 but Form Four, Class Eight and Grade 4 Examinations will proceed. Learners for these classes resumed learning in October,
“With respect to examination classes which have resumed classes, they will continue under strict health safety measures,” the president said.
He urged Members of Parliament to utilise Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to provide additional handwashing points, face masks as part of preparations for the schools re-opening in January.