Gov’t Extends Restaurants Closing Time From 5 PM To 7:30 PM

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has announced an extension time for the operation of restaurants and eateries until 7:30 PM.

Speaking during the daily COVID-19 briefings, Kagwe reiterated that the guidelines set up by the Ministry of Health are still in place even as the operation times are extended.

In a press briefing on Saturday, June 13, 2020, Health CAS Rashid Aman extended the closing time from 4 to 5 PM.

He did, however, note that discussions were underway to determine whether the time for operations would be extended.

This was after Pubs, Entertainment and Restaurants Association of Kenya (PERAK) sought to have their closing time extended by at least four hours following the extension of dusk till dawn curfew.

The association claimed that since the dawn to dusk curfew had been extended to 9PM, restaurants should also have their closing times extended to 8PM.

Read: Restaurants To Remain Open Until 5 PM – CAS Aman

“We request to be allowed to operate up to at most 8PM as our operators have their own arrangements for staff accommodation and transport, which means that curfew hours will be observed,” PERAK patron Patrick Muya said.

Further in the briefing, the association asked the government to crack its whip on establishments that had failed to adhere to the set Covid-19 guidelines “rather than take drastic measures that would indiscriminately impact a whole sector of the economy with dire economic straits.”

Eateries were given a reprieve last month to re-open gradually and allowed to operate until 4PM.

As of today, 133 people have tested positive for COVID-19 bringing the tally to 3,860. 40 more people have recovered bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,326.

Unfortunately, one more patient has died, bringing the toll to 105.

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