This archive report was first published on 6 June 2020.
On June 6, 2020, Kenya's COVID-19 cases reached 2,600 after 126 new infections were reported, prompting President Uhuru Kenyatta to extend the night curfew and impose stricter measures to combat the pandemic.
The President announced that the night curfew, initially set to start at 7pm and end at 5am, would now begin at 9pm and end at 4am, in a bid to give traders more time to conduct their business.
Kenya's fatality toll from the virus rose to 83 after four more people succumbed to the disease.
President Kenyatta urged Kenyans to exercise patience, assuring them that the government was working on a plan to reopen the economy without putting their lives at risk.
'I have seen many memes talking about independence and Freedom Day, but we are not doing this to punish anyone. This is about life and we are doing this to protect the lives of Kenyans,' the President said.
However, the President lifted the cessation of movement into and out of Eastleigh, Old Town in Mombasa, Kilifi, and Kwale from June 7, but restrictions in place for Nairobi, Mombasa, and Mandera counties remained in force for a further 30 days.
He also directed the Ministries of Health and Interior to constitute an inter-faith council to work out protocols on the re-opening of places of worship.
The President said the inter-faith council was expected to come up with the protocols within a week in consultations with health experts and other stakeholders.
Public gatherings, including political and social gatherings, were banned for the next 30 days, and the Ministry of Transport was tasked with developing protocols for the resumption of local air travel.
The Ministries of Education and Health were directed to hold consultations to have a new calendar for the education sector by mid-August, in time for the resumption of learning at the beginning of September.
