Kenya extends curfew, bans political gatherings as Covid-19 cases rise

President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya on Wednesday has extended a curfew and introduced new measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. He also admitted that the rising number of cases was a reversal of the gains achieved in the early months of the pandemic.

The East African nation eased containment measures in late September, reopening schools, churches and bars with strict protocols in place. But the laxity in applying the rules led to a sharp rise in virus cases.

In October, President Kenyatta said the country recorded more than 15,000 new cases of Covid-19 and approximately 300 deaths. Kenya has so far recorded at least 57,000 cases and more than 1,000 deaths, according to a Times database.

“October has gone down as the most tragic month in our fight against Covid,” he said in a televised speech on Wednesday.

Mr. Kenyatta announced the suspension of political gatherings for two months and ordered that all bars and restaurants be closed by 9 p.m. He also extended the nationwide curfew to Jan. 3 and moved back the start of the curfew each night to 10 p.m.

All government employees over the age of 58 and those who are immunocompromised will be asked to work remotely, Mr. Kenyatta said. And all in-person learning will resume in January 2021.

Earlier in the day, Wycliffe Oparanya, the chairman of the Council of Governors, said that as many as 12 of the country’s 47 counties had not attained the minimum 300-bed capacity stipulated to accommodate virus patients. He also said 11 counties had fewer than five intensive care unit beds in their isolation facilities. Oparanya also warned of an increasing number of doctors getting infected by the virus.

Mr. Kenyatta said Kenya was “now staring at a new wave of this pandemic” and urged citizens to observe the new rules.

“The most fragile point in any war happens at the point when victory is in sight,” Mr. Kenyatta said. “The citizens have to exercise their civic duty and responsibility, especially in observing the Covid protocols.”