Kenya: Bars allowed to reopen, restaurants to serve alcohol again

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta annonced on Monday that bars could reopen and restaurants could sell alcohol again as the rate of new coronavirus infections slowly declines in the country.

Bars were shut in March but soon began serving food to exploit a loophole allowing restaurants to serve drinks with meals.

So in July, as new cases rose among young people who socialised there, Kenyatta banned the sale of alcohol in eateries too.

Schools will remain closed until it is safe to reopen, he added:

"I call upon the Cabinet Secretary for Education, once we have agreed on the 'how', he will then thereafter immediately issue a calendar for the resumption of the 2020 academic year - if it is to be or if it is going to be 2021."

For now, the 2020 academic year has been written off.

The national curfew will remain in place for another 60 days but its starting time has been pushed back from 9pm to 11pm.

The number of daily coronavirus infections has declined since the summer's peak, but Kenyatta has warned a second wave is still very possible and threatened of reimposing measures if cases rose again.

Kenya has reported 38,168 cases of Covid-19 and 700 deaths.