Bar, taxi operators should commit to Covid-19 safety

The call by bar owners and taxi operators for a review of the curfew hours points to eagerness to move on from a pandemic that has upended daily economic activities and routines.

The falling numbers of new infections have been cited as warranting easing of restrictions, with the prospects of jobs recovery used to reinforce this argument.

Across the world, countries are laying the groundwork to ease some of the restrictions they reintroduced to battle the second wave of infections, helped by the start of the global vaccination programme.

Important lessons have also been learnt in the past one year, including how the virus spreads, how to prevent infections and how to care for the infected.

Based on this, one can make a compelling argument for the government to consider the plea of the bar owners and taxi operators on further easing of restrictions in Kenya.

However, there is need to strike a balance between the economy and health of Kenyans.

On one hand, there are green shoots of recovery in the economy, which went through a rough patch in the second and third quarters of last year, including a contraction. The argument by those advocating further reopening is that this momentum must not be lost, and that Kenyans have demonstrated their ability to go about normal daily activities while keeping infections down.

It is also important that the country works to restore as many jobs as possible, especially in the services sector that was by far the worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

From a public health standpoint, however, the reopening that is being proposed by the bar and taxi sector must be accompanied by proper discipline that will ensure we won’t roll back the gains made in the fight against the virus.

We must recall that the most recent review of the curfew hours was partly prompted by the inability of revellers in bars to observe social distancing measures put in place by the government.

Bar owners who did not ensure observance of these measures therefore did a great disservice to the economy.

This time, too, the onus is on them to prove that people will act responsibly to safeguard themselves and others against the virus within their premises.

The call by bar owners and taxi operators for a review of the curfew hours points to eagerness to move on from a pandemic that has upended daily economic activities and routines.

The falling numbers of new infections have been cited as warranting easing of restrictions, with the prospects of jobs recovery used to reinforce this argument.

Across the world, countries are laying the groundwork to ease some of the restrictions they reintroduced to battle the second wave of infections, helped by the start of the global vaccination programme.

Important lessons have also been learnt in the past one year, including how the virus spreads, how to prevent infections and how to care for the infected.

Based on this, one can make a compelling argument for the government to consider the plea of the bar owners and taxi operators on further easing of restrictions in Kenya.

However, there is need to strike a balance between the economy and health of Kenyans.

On one hand, there are green shoots of recovery in the economy, which went through a rough patch in the second and third quarters of last year, including a contraction. The argument by those advocating further reopening is that this momentum must not be lost, and that Kenyans have demonstrated their ability to go about normal daily activities while keeping infections down.

It is also important that the country works to restore as many jobs as possible, especially in the services sector that was by far the worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

From a public health standpoint, however, the reopening that is being proposed by the bar and taxi sector must be accompanied by proper discipline that will ensure we won’t roll back the gains made in the fight against the virus.

We must recall that the most recent review of the curfew hours was partly prompted by the inability of revellers in bars to observe social distancing measures put in place by the government.

Bar owners who did not ensure observance of these measures therefore did a great disservice to the economy.

This time, too, the onus is on them to prove that people will act responsibly to safeguard themselves and others against the virus within their premises.