Lockdown in 5 counties under one zone lifted, curfew hours revised

President Uhuru Kenyatta has lifted the travel ban in and out of Nairobi and four other counties following a decrease in COVID-19 infections,

Speaking at State House on Saturday during the Labour Day celebrations, the Head of State stated that the closure, which affected Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Kajiado, and Nakuru, had resulted in a 74% decrease in infections.

“When I issued the second Public Order of 2021 in March, announcing the obtaining containment measures, our COVID-19 caseload in Nairobi was 56,815. “Uhuru said “This caseload has now gone down to below 15,000 for the month of April, signifying a 74% decrease,”

President Kenyatta also announced a revision to curfew hours in the zoned area in Public Order number 3 of 2021, stating that curfew hours will now begin at 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., effective midnight May 1.

“That the hours of curfew in the Zoned Area are revised to commence at 10:00pm and end at 4:00am, with effect from mid-night on this 1st day of May, 2021, until otherwise directed,” Uhuru said.

The ban on in-person and congregational worship has also been lifted; places of worship have been directed to follow Ministry of Health guidelines while maintaining one-third capacity at various sessions.

Restaurants and bars have also been permitted to reopen in accordance with the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 protocols.

“That the operations of restaurants and eateries in the Zoned Area shall resume in accordance with the guidelines issued jointly by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife. Restaurants are encouraged to utilize outdoor spaces to maximize on physical and social distancing,” he added.

All bars across the country are expected to close their doors at 7 p.m.

Hospitals across the country have been directed to limit the number of visitors to one per patient per day for hospitalized patients.

Meanwhile, the ban on political gatherings will remain in effect until otherwise directed.

When President Uhuru Kenyatta announced new travel restrictions and zoning of Nairobi, Kajiado, Machakos, Kiambu and Nakuru counties on March 26 this year, the positivity rate had hit 22% compared to January’s 2%.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s positivity rate was recorded at 9.7per cent after 497 people tested positive for COVID-19 from a sample size of 5,117 on Friday.

Total confirmed cases in the country are now 159,318 and cumulative tests so far conducted are 1,669,552.