The Ministry of Health (MoH) has issued a statement over reports on a ducument circulating online, claiming that all Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted. The Ministry has clarified that the government has not made any u-turns as widely publicized on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, and assured Kenyans that the document is not from the Ministry of Health, and is therefore not authentic.
The document purported that the ministry had revised all restriction measures on Covid-19, and that wearing of masks in public was to be optional effective March 1, 2022. However, those visiting congested places such as government offices or using public means of transport, were to have masks. The circular further claimed that the Ministry had also allowed the resumption of all indoor and in-person meetings in full capacity, as long as all the participants are fully vaccinated. It also alleged that the government had further recommended full resumption of sporting activities to ensure normalcy in the competitions. Travellers arriving in Kenya would also not be required to produce a Covid-19 vaccination certificate. The circular also claimed that the government had also stopped with immediate effect, contact tracing and quarantine.
Following this confusion, the government has urged members of the public to continue observing guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health, as the country battles the pandemic. The MoH has advised that in case of any updates or changes on the protocols, an official statement will come from the Ministry of Health or the Office of the President, as has been a custom for the last two years.
According to data from MoH as of March 1, 2022, a total of 16,740,060 vaccines had been administered across the country. of these, 7,850,174 are partially vaccinated while those fully vaccinated are 7,636,280. To date, Kenya recorded 24 new cases of coronavirus from a sample size of 4,956. Total confirmed positive cases are now 323,002 and cumulative tests so far conducted are 3,381,634. The country's positivity rate is now at 0.5%.
