Reprieve To Kenyans As Uhuru Lifts Nationwide Curfew

President Uhuru Kenyatta has lifted the nationwide dusk to dawn curfew.

Speaking during the Mashujaa Day celebrations at Wang’uru Stadium in Mwea, Kirinyaga County on Wednesday October 20, 2021, President Kenyatta noted that the country has recorded a progress in the fight against Covid-19.

He pointed out the low positivity rate recorded in the past two weeks and the high number of the population vaccinated as some of the achievements.

Kenya has met a majority of indicators used to downgrade restrictions in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, including ICU admissions, positivity rate and deaths.

This has seen public health officials, politicians and traders push President Kenyatta to relax the restrictions, including the night curfew, that have stifled business and hampered economic growth.

The WHO recommends that restrictions can be eased if the positivity rate, the proportion of tests coming back positive remains below five percent for at least two weeks.

The UN body says governments can also relax the containment measures if hospitalisations and ICU admissions decline for the last two weeks and Covid-19 deaths drop over a period of three weeks.

Kenya’s positivity rate has remained below five percent since September 30 and dropped from 14.5 percent on August 15 to 2.3 percent yesterday as the government steps up testing and vaccination.

On Tuesday, President Kenyatta hinted that the Covid-19 containment measures could be eased in the coming days.

Hospitalisations from Covid-19 have been falling over the past three weeks from 1, 021 admissions in September 30 to 586 yesterday.

Kenya has been under curfew since March 2020 when the country reported its first cases of Covid-19