President Uhuru Kenyatta has directed the Ministry of Health to develop protocols to temporarily retain retired Intensive Care Unit (ICU) staffers and anaesthetists to help in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic in the counties.
In a state of the nation address on Monday, the Head of State stated that the move is part of efforts to ensure the local health system is able to deal with the rising number of infections in the country.
Being a respiratory disease most Covid-19 patients in critical state often end up in the ICU.
The President reiterated the need for personal responsibility in fighting Covid-19.
“It is evident that those who have displayed such a careless attitude have suffered greatly and in this case, we are not special. Let us not follow those examples that will hurt us in the end,” Uhuru said.
He announced new measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus including banning sale of alcohol in eateries for 30 days effective mid-night.
Read: Uhuru Bans Sale Of Alcohol In Eateries
Eateries will now be required to close at 7pm instead of 8pm with bars closed indefinitely.
“Licenses of bars will be withdrawn permanently if found operating,” said Uhuru
President Kenyatta further extended the 9pm to 4am curfew for an additional 30 days.
The head of state stated that the directives will apply to all Kenyans including politicians notorious for flouting Covid-19 guidelines.
Read Also: Gov’t Building Ksh11 Billion Road To President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Rural Home
He directed the Ministry of Education to defer the reopening of universities to January 2021 and not September as earlier directed. Online learning and graduations will, however, continue.
The President was speaking after the 5th Extraordinary Summit with governors.
He said that the stringent measures are due to the surge in Coronavirus cases.
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