This archive report was first published on 7 July 2020.
On July 6, 2020, Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta announced a nationwide address easing COVID-19 restrictions put in place in early March to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
According to the president, the phased reopening aims to strike a balance between containing the virus and sustaining the country's economic life.
Restrictions on movements in and out of Nairobi, considered the country's coronavirus epicenter, will end on July 7, 2020. Travel in and out of Mombasa and Mandera, two of five other counties still under partial lockdown, had their restrictions lifted on July 6, 2020, but with conditions.
"Should the situation deteriorate and pose a challenge to our health infrastructure, it shall be 'clawed back,'" Kenyatta said. "In the next 21 days, we shall study patterns of interactions and the spread of the disease. Any trends that signal a worsening of the pandemic, we will have no choice but to return to the lockdown at zero-option."
Kenya is currently battling a steep rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases, with about 300 new cases each day, a figure that has more than doubled in the past month. Total COVID-19 cases now stand at 7,886, with 160 deaths.
Some previous measures remain in place, including restrictions on political and social gatherings, together with a dusk-to-dawn nationwide curfew that was put in place in March. These measures will continue for another 30 days, Kenyatta said.
Places of worship can open but are limited to a maximum of 100 people inside, with events not lasting more than one hour. Congregants must be between ages 13 to 58 and have no underlying medical conditions.
Local air travel will resume on July 8, 2020, while international air travel will restart on August 1, 2020.
Kenyatta emphasized the importance of "shared and civic responsibility" to ensure success in the country's recovery from the pandemic.
