Enforce new lockdown firmly, and be clear on the measures

Police officers from Lari police station are seen at Mathore in Lari Kiambu County removing a road block after Government Spokesperson Cyrus Oguna announced a suspension to the directive given by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday to tame the spread of the Covid-19 after the emergence of a third wave to allow those who were locked out to travel. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

After President Uhuru Kenyatta addressed the nation on the state of Covid-19 pandemic on Friday, several clarifications have followed. This is quite in order, given that the country is facing an invisible but deadly enemy. In the past, presidential directives were always final, needing no clarification from any other quarters. The spread of coronavirus has confounded scientists, governments and even the best of health experts.

Indeed, there had been a sense of defeating the virus when the number of infections and deaths appeared to go down in January this year, only to spike in late February and March. The so-called curve appeared to have been flattened. The arrival of the Covid-19 vaccines added more hope that the pandemic could be managed well. However, more infections and deaths signaled that the more lethal third wave is here, prompting President Kenyatta to restrict movement in to and out of five big counties.

Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Nakuru counties have been designated as disease-infected areas with one of the highest positivity rates. Movement in to and out of the counties has been restricted to help contain the virus. The blockade was to begin yesterday from midnight, but government spokesman Cyrus Oguna clarified that travelers have until Sunday 8pm to move out of the affected counties. This will come as a huge relief to thousands of visitors, including tourists, who were caught unawares by the presidential directive.

The last time such a partial lockdown was announced, several families were torn apart. We heard heart-rending stories of lactating mothers and their babies being separated by the edict. The current window will also allow students to move either in to or out of the affected counties and join their families. Some foreign and local tourists had booked SGR tickets and could have been affected adversely by the lockdown.

They now have until Monday midday beyond which all SGR and domestic flights will be cancelled. That said, the authorities must proactively seek other measures of stemming the coronavirus spread, instead of the lockdowns that look easy to effect. The movement restrictions are costly to the economy and end up hurting Kenyans more, with loss of jobs and income-generating activities. The roll-out of the vaccination should be stepped up as the government burns the midnight oil to convince Kenyans and have them inoculated against this virus.