COVID-19 national conference kicked off today at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC). President Uhuru Kenyatta presided the event whose main purpose was to look at the effects caused by the pandemic and to chat the way forward for the nation.
In attendance were the Cabinet Secretaries, stakeholders and senior government officials such as included the clergy, technocrats among others.
He called on all Kenyans to be realistic and keenly evaluate the measures put in place and see if they are effective in controlling the spread of COVID-19
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe urged Kenyans to embrace the new usual because the virus will be around for long noting that it has taken hard work and it proceeds to be hard work.
President Kenyatta noted that the Covid-19 cases have reduced from 13 per cent in June to 4 per cent in September which meets the World Health condition for reopening.
REOPENING OF SCHOOL AND BARS.
President Kenyatta said that school reopening will only take place when the Covid-19 Protocols have been met adding that the health matters of our children is not a matter of debate.
He called on the CS for Education CS Magoha to come out with a plan on how schools will reopen noting that until all that is achieved, Kenyans will have to wait longer.
On Reopening of schools and bars and the decision on the fate of crowd gatherings which were banned since March despite politicians defying it president Kenyatta noted that bars will be reopened.
President Uhuru Kenyatta directed that schools remain closed and will only re-open in a manner that protects the health and well-being of learners.
He further authorized Education CS Magoha to issue a calendar for the 2022 academic year or if it will be pushed to 2021
LOCKDOWN AND THE NATIONAL CURFEW
On whether the partial lockdown and curfew should be lifted, the President noted that the curfew will be extended for a further 60 days.
However, the curfew will run from 11 pm to 4 am.
Gathering increased to one-third of the normal gathering.
FUNERAL AND WEDDING ATTENDANCE
Funeral and wedding attendant capacity increased from 100 to 200 persons in adherence to Covid-19 protocols.
The conference came in the wake of high expectations from Kenyans that some of the restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus will be lifted to pave way for a full resumption of the economy.
COVID-19 UPDATES
Today Kenya has recorded 53 new Covid-19 cases out of 1,107 tested samples in the last 24 hours, Kenya's caseload now 38,168.
Sixty more recoveries have been reported today bringing a total number of 24,681 recovery cases. Health CS Mutahi Kagwe has announced that out of the 60 reported cases, 36 victims were at home and 24 in health centres.
Death toll in Kenya now stands at 700 as 9 extra patients have died.
