Matiang’i extends night curfew by 60 days to curb Covid-19 spread

The government Sunday extended nationwide night curfew for 60 days to July 26 as part of measures to contain the third wave of Covid-19 infections.

The announcement of the curfew which runs between 10pm and 4am was made through a special gazette notice dated May 28.

Interior Secretary Fred Matiang’i said in the notice that a ban on public gatherings that could turn into super spreader events has also been extended for another 30 days, as was a prohibition on overnight events and vigils.

Lockdowns and other restrictions have stifled revenues and hampered growth, forcing many firms to freeze hiring after millions of workers lost jobs last year.

Kenyan economy was projected to grow by 6.2 percent, but is expected to have grown 0.6 percent because of the Covid-19 pandemic

“This order shall apply during the hours of darkness between 10 o’clock in the evening and four o’clock in the morning with effect from the 28th of May 2021 and shall remain in effect for a period of 60 days thereof,” Dr Matiang’i says in the notice.

“There shall be no public gatherings, processions or movement either alone or as a group during the period of the curfew except as shall be permitted in writing by a police officer in charge of the police in a county or a police officer in charge of a division or sub-county.”

In making the decision, Dr Matiang’i signalled that the pandemic remains a threat to Kenyans’ health and livelihoods despite the national positivity declining.

Kenya has 170,647 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 with fatalities standing at 3,124.

Positivity rate, which is tabulated by dividing the number of infections by the sample size, stood at four percent yesterday from a high of 22 percent in March.

The rollout of Covid-19 vaccines and a quick success of the curbs would influence Kenya’s economic recovery.

The country on March 5 began vaccinations, targeting 1.25 million persons by next month and another 9.6 million in the next phase starting July.

Like other countries around the world, Kenya’s tourism, education and other key sectors have been hit by the pandemic.

Financial misery has engulfed many people amid the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions that have accompanied the virus.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics has delayed release of Kenya’s annual economic survey that was to reveal the full extent of damage inflicted on the economy and the jobs market during Covid-19 lockdown.

Typically, the report is released in late April or early May and was to capture economic conditions in year that Kenya imposed restrictions like travel ban, night curfew, closure of schools and night clubs to curb coronavirus.