Infotrak poll says 63% of Kenyans support nationwide 10pm-4am curfew

A new poll by Infotrak now shows that a majority of Kenyans support the measures revised by President Uhuru Kenyatta on May 1, 2021 to curb the spread of COVID-19.

According to the poll, 68% of Kenyans support the operating hours of eateries and bars while 31% do not and the remaining 1% are uncertain.

Infotrak also said 63% of Kenyans support the nationwide 10pm to 4am curfew while 36% do not and 1% do not know. Another 53% support the restrictions around places of worship.

The poll, which was conducted across the eight regions with 1200 respondents participating, also showed that 71% of Kenyans in need of medical attention visited public health facilities between the end of 2020 and mid–2021.

Of these, the survey, 48% said they were satisfied with the services they received; 51% of them noted an adequate number of medical staff, while 53% noted inadequate resources such as medical equipment and drugs.

The poll, which was released on Tuesday, revealed that 7 in 10 low income earners visited public health facilities between the same period, as compared to only 2 in 5 high and middle income earners.

About 3 in 10 Kenyans who sought medical attention between the end of 2020 and mid–2021 required treatment for pre-existing conditions; including 1 in 5 for Malaria and the same for respiratory diseases.

As far as the cost of healthcare goes, 2 in 5 Kenyans spend under Ksh.10,000 on healthcare annually for themselves and their extended families while 1 in 5 have health insurance covers.

About 2 in 5 Kenyans (44% of the respondents) are of the opinion that the nationwide COVID-19 infection rate is increasing while 31 disagree.

The poll said 2 in 5 Kenyans who contracted the coronavirus sought help from relatives and friends to pay for the cost of treatment, while 1 in 5 used their savings.

Another 1 in 5 said they have recently assisted people close to them to offset a medical bill for COVID-19 treatment.

The poll further added that it costs about Ksh.21,359 per day per patient to manage COVID-19 in hospitals for asymptomatic patients, Ksh.21,361 for those with mild symptoms, Ksh.24,705 for those with severe disease and Ksh.51,684 for critical patients in ICUs.