No More Face Masks In Public,Says CS Kagwe As Gov’t Reviews COVID-19 Guidelines

NAIROBI,Kenya, Mar, 11 – It is almost two years since Kenya first announced the first positive case of the COVID-19 virus forever changing the country’s way of life, as the government quickly swooped in to implement a series of guidelines aimed at combating and containing the spread of the deadly global virus.

In recent weeks however Kenya has been recording a positivity rate of one per cent and below with the ministry of health saying that earlier containment measures have no doubt yielded results and as such now informed the government to revise the earlier restrictions in its entirety.

Kenyans, will now not be obligated to wear face masks in open public spaces with the directive being lifted.

Kagwe however said that the health ministry encourages the wearing of face masks in indoor functions while encouraging members of the public to maintain social distancing and avoid crowding in order to ensure the risk of the virus spreading is limited.

“The ministry of health has been conducting periodic review of COVID-19 outbreak containment measures ranging from quarantine,isolation, travel restrictions, restrictions on gatherings and enforcement of wearing masks in public spaces based on guidance from the World,Health Organization (WHO) on public health considerations and the evolving epidemiological situation globally,” said Kagwe.

Further, Kagwe announced that all in-person worship to resume at full capacity as long as the congregants and worshipers are vaccinated.

The inter-Faith council is expected to announce the resumption of normalcy at all places of worship with religious institutions still expected to provide washing and sanitizing stations at their premises.

All other in-person indoor meetings are also expected to resume at full capacity of then venue as long as all participants are vaccinated.

Sporting activities are also expected to resume fully without the restrictions both professionally and even in schools with the ministry of education and sports to facilitate the transition.

“Event organizers are required to ensure this is followed as they will take responsibility for events at which unvaccinated people are present,” he said.

With recent cases of COVID-19 presenting without fever, the ministry of health says that the se of temperature screenings at public spaces has little utility in the current epidemiological scenarios.

“In this regard, the practice of temperature screenings at public spaces can be stopped. However more emphasis should be placed on increased sanitary and hygiene measures by increasing hand washing stations and sanitization’s points,”

Kagwe also said that all quarantine is to be stopped with immediate effect in the case of vaccinated and the unvaccinated while positive asymptomatic cases need not isolate but shall instead observe five days and return to work thereafter without need for further testing.

“Only those patients declared well enough to work by a qualified healthcare worker should resume work,” said the CS.

In the transport sector, full conveyance capacity is set to resume in public vehicle services,domestic air transport and even in rail transport. Operators within the sector are however expected to ensure that their staff are fully vaccinated while travelers have their face masks on at all times during the course of their travel.

Also travelers who are fully vaccinated shall be exempted from the requirement of a PCR set.

“All eligible unvaccinated travelers arriving at any port of entry into Kenya bus have a negative COVID-19 PCR set result conducted not more than 72 hours before departure. regardless of the route of the entry,”

Unvaccinated travelers arriving at any point of entry shall be subjected to rapid antigen test at their own cost of USD30 ()Sh3,420).

Any person who tests positive on antigen RDT will be subjected to entry PCR test at their own further cost of USD50 (Sh,5700).

Travelers under the age of five years are meanwhile exempted  from the testing requirement.

“All ravelers arriving at nay point of entry into Kenya will be required to fill the passenger locator form on ‘jitenge’ platform. Truck drivers and travelers across the East African comma city who are fully vaccinated will not be require a COVID-19 PCTR test with a validity of a maximum of 14 days prior to travel,”

People traveling out of the country will however be required to abide by the particular travel, health and COVID-19 related requirements of the destination country.

The government is meanwhile in the coming weeks expected to scale up countrywide COVID-19 vaccination.

17.8 million vaccines have so far been administered nationwide.

Kenyans have also been advised that the reviewed guidelines may be reviewed again at any given time including arrival testing based on prevailing pandemic situation and epidemiological situation of the country of departure.