Kenya Extends Curfew, Plans Review of Covid-19 Response

(Bloomberg) --

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta extended a night-time curfew by 30 days, ahead of a conference to review the East African nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The country, which first announced the curfew to curb the spread of the virus in March, will keep bars and nightclubs closed for a further 30 days, Kenyatta said in a televised address on Wednesday. A prohibition on alcohol sales in licensed hotels will be lifted, and the maximum number of people allowed to attend weddings and funerals will be raised to 100 from 15, he said.

“The positivity rate countrywide has fallen from a high of 13% in June to 8% in August,” Kenyatta said. “If we keep our civic responsibilities high, we have a chance to reach the 5% positivity rate recommended by the World Health Organization for a total reopening of our economy and country.”

Kenyatta has directed the interior secretary and the chairman of the council of governors to convene a national conference in the next three weeks to review the country’s Covid-19 response and agree on a post-pandemic plan for the nation.

Kenya has 33,016 confirmed cases of the virus and 19,296 recoveries, making for a recovery rate of 58%.

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