Kenya president eases Coronavirus restrictions

President Uhuru Kenyatta Saturday eased the restrictions put in place in March to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

In his Labour Day speech, the President lifted the cessation of movement into and out of the five counties previously declared as disease infected areas.

He said the restriction on movement in and out of Machakos, Nairobi, Kajiado, Kiambu and Nakuru counties will end Saturday midnight.

The President also announced that curfew hours will start at 10pm and end at 4am countrywide with effect from midnight May 1.

All education institutions will reopen as per Education ministry calendar, President Kenyatta said.

Restaurants and eateries will reopen with strict adherence to Covid protocols issued by Health ministry, Mr Kenyatta announced. Bars ordered to operate until 7pm.

In-person and congregational worship to resume countywide but capacity be a third of capacity, President Kenyatta said.

Here is a list of the restrictions that the President eased:

With regard to the Zoned Area comprising of the counties of Nairobi, Machakos, Kiambu, Kajiado and Nakuru, it is directed that the cessation of movement into and out of the Zoned area be and is hereby lifted;

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

That in-person and congregational worship shall resume in strict fidelity to the guidelines issued by the Inter-Faith Council and Ministry of Health.

However, the attending congregation is capped to one-third of the capacity of the place of worship;

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.

For the entirety of the Republic of Kenya, it is directed as follows:

That all our education institutions in all levels of learning shall re-open in accordance with the calendar issued by the Ministry of Education;

That the resumption of sporting activities shall be guided by the regulations to be issued by the Ministry of Health jointly with the Ministry of Sports;

That all bars in the territory of the Republic are to operate until 7pm

All employers and enterprises are encouraged to allow employees to work from home, with the only exception being with respect to employees working in critical or essential services that cannot be delivered remotely;

That all hospitals are directed to limit the number of visitors for hospitalized patients to one visitor per patient per day;

That the prohibition against political gatherings is extended until otherwise directed; and

All the other containment measures and guidelines that are not expressly set-out in this address remain in force, and shall be enforced dutifully.