The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) now wants President Uhuru Kenyatta to institute additional stringent measures in order to contain the rapid spread of coronavirus in the country.
With Kenya’s current positivity rate standing at 16.5 percent, a case which KEPSA says is worrisome says the application of stringent measures for the next two to three weeks to contain the virus is the only thing to go by.
Among the measured that KEPSA is advocating for include cessation of movement, cease inter-County movement with the five most-affected counties namely Nairobi, Mombasa, Kiambu, Kajiado and Nakuru for the next two weeks with the exemption of essential services. Dusk to dawn curfew from 10 p.m to 4 a.m to new hours of 8 p.m till 4 a.m for the next three weeks, and companies that operate with night shifts to be allowed to continue operations in adherence to COVID-19 protocols.
Another key area that KEPSA is calling for strict regulation is bars and restaurants and wants their closing time-reversed down to 8 p.m
The sector is among the businesses in the country that were hit hard in the second and third quarter of 2020 due to COVID-19 lockdowns. The fourth quarter was a ray of hope as business began resuming steadily
As KEPSA is advocating for measures within its jurisdiction to slow down the spread, it’s further calling on the government to crack the whip equally on social life.
With the Easter holiday celebrations approaching, KEPSA has asked the government to restrict all social gatherings including in homes for the next three weeks.
In its proposals to the President, KEPSA wants the number of people attending funerals to be limited to 15 with a substantial reduction of people attending physical meetings in offices and thorough monitoring of cross-border spread for the next 3 weeks.
By March 25, Kenya had recorded 1,443 cases and 23 fatalities within 24 hours bringing the total number of infections in the country to 126,170, with total fatalities standing at 2,092.
To this end, all eyes are now on the Head of State in his next national address on March 26, with many keen to see if he will institute stringent lockdown measures to curb the spread of the deadly disease.
