Security officers enforce curfew in Lamu in this 2014 picture. President Uhuru Kenyatta has declared countrywide dusk-to-dawn curfew starting Friday, March, 27. [File, Standard]
President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced a daily curfew from 7 pm to 5 am effective Friday to contain the spread of the highly-contagious coronavirus.
Already, 28 people have tested positive for the virus in Kenya.
“All movement by persons not authorised to do so or not being medical professionals, health workers, critical and essential services providers are prohibited between those hours,” Uhuru Kenyatta said.
President Uhuru held that the measure will help keep Kenya “ahead of the curve” in containing the virus spread.
He added that both the National and County governments were implementing strict evaluation and monitoring protocols “designed to proactively seek out and test persons who may be carriers of this virus.”
“Defeating this pandemic demands cooperation, collaboration and common action. More than that, it calls for unity and shared understanding, strict adherence to the protocols issued by the Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies, and the adoption by every person of measures that will contain the spread of the virus,” he said.
Here is the full list of the providers of critical and essential services who are exempted from the curfew:
- Medical professionals & health workers
- National Security, Administration and Coordination Officers
- Public health and sanitation officers in the County Governments
- Licensed pharmacies and drug stores
- Licensed broadcasters and media houses
- Kenya Power Ltd
- Food dealers, distributors, wholesalers & transporters of farm produce
- Licensed Supermarkets, Mini-Markets and Hypermarkets
- Licensed distributors and detailers of petroleum and oil products and lubricants
- Licensed telecommunication operators and service providers
- Licensed banks, financial institutions and payment financial services
- Fire brigades and other emergency response services
- Licensed security firms
