Covid-19: Kenya Imposes New Lockdown, Restrictions

Covid-19 Kenya Imposes New Lockdown, Restrictions
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The Kenyan government has announced that the west of the country, including the border with Uganda, is a Covid-19 hotspot and hence restricted movements and gatherings in those areas.

Africa Daily News, New York reports that a surge in infections, especially in the lakeside city of Kisumu and nearby towns, has raised the infection rate in the region to 21% compared to a national average of 9%.

The ministry of health has said that beginning on Friday all but essential travel between, into, and out of 13 counties in western Kenya will be ‘strongly discouraged’.

A curfew in those zones will begin at 19:00 (local time) compared to the rest of the country which stays at 22:00 and ends at 04:00.

Read Also: Zambia Suspends Political Campaigns Amid Covid-19 Surge

All public gatherings including sporting activities and house parties have also been banned, while physical forms of worship are suspended for 30 days.

On 1 June, President Uhuru Kenyatta celebrated a national holiday in Kisumu, in a ceremony attended by thousands of people, a move which has been decried by several activists in the country.

Medics had questioned the wisdom of allowing the event to proceed when Kisumu’s largest referral hospital had already reported a fully occupied Covid-19 isolation facility, and infection rates were up.

Kenya has recorded just over 3,400 Covid-19 deaths.

 

AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK

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