Kenyan government allows restaurants to open under terms and conditions

The Kenyan government has allowed restaurants to open their doors even as the number of coronavirus cases rose to 365, according to a news report by Daily Nation.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said that while Kenya looks to other countries to learn how business can reopen, the government has put measures that could keep the country safe.

Mutahi Kagwe said diners' body temperatures will also be checked and access restricted to those showing signs of fever. "Any staff member or reveler with a temperature above 37.5°C shall not be allowed into the premises, and they shall immediately notify the Ministry of Health," he said in a statement.

We directed REOPENING of all Restaurants but all the guidelines set out must be strictly adhered to. All the staff working in these restaurants must be tested to protect fellow staff and customers. #workingfromhomeCAS Health Rashid Aman

— CS MUTAHI KAGWE (@MutahiKagweKE) April 28, 2020

Kagwe also noted that people working during this period have been struggling to find places to eat, and recommended additional rules for restaurants that will operate to serve them.

"Anybody walking into a restaurant must wash their hands first and be wearing a mask. The restaurants that are going to open will do so with people who have been tested and are Covid-19-free," he said,

Mutahi Kagwe said that the owners of the restaurants will have to pay for the cost of testing their employees. While the government has been testing for free, the cost for a test in private hospitals ranges between Sh8,500 and Sh10,500.

The CS said workers should also maintain social distance while in kitchens. He announced that three more people from Nairobi, four in Mombasa, and one in Kwale tested positive.

Kagwe said eight more patients have been discharged, bringing the total number of those who have recovered from coronavirus to 114.