Kenyans will be required to wear masks in public places following a spike in coronavirus cases.
Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health Francis Kuria said the positivity rate has been rising since start of May, hitting a high of 5.6 percent and averaging 3.3 percent weekly.
Kenya’s positivity rate — the proportion of tests coming back positive — stood at 3.6 percent on Wednesday compared to a low of 0.3 percent on March 11 when Kenya relaxed restrictions such as wearing of masks.
The increased infection rates come against the backdrop of increased inoculation against Covid-19, with 8.4 million Kenyans fully vaccinated as at June 1, up from 7.8 million on March 11.
“We are urging Kenyans to have their masks on. We are worried that the Covid-19 numbers are going up,” Dr Kuria said.
“At the time of lifting some of the [Covid-19 containment] mandates, the positivity rate was about one percent and at the beginning of May, it was about 0.1 percent but all of a sudden, we have a weekly average of 3.3 percent and the highest at 5.6 percent.”
As the ministry lifted wearing of face masks in open public places, Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe encouraged the use of masks and adherence to social distance rules in all indoor spaces.
