The Government announced that it has imposed a curfew between 7 pm and 5 am that will be effected from Friday 27th March 2020.
The curfew will affect all Kenyans except a group of people who will be permitted to operate due to the type of services they offer.
The people exempted from the curfew are those whose services are seen as essential and stopping them would endanger the lives of other people in one way or another.
Here is a list of some services that are categorized as essential;
- Water services,
- Health services
- National security,
- Fire services and emergency response services
- Licensed Financial institutions
- Licensed Security firms
- Licensed supermarkets, retail outlets and fuel, and power distribution firms.
- Media
The members of the press are included in this list as they are seen to play a critical role during the Coronavirus pandemic by providing the members of the public with the relevant and required information.
According to the Media Owners Association, the members of the fourth estate had requested the Health minister Mutahi Kagwe to include them in the membership of the National Emergency Response Committee and the Business Emergency Response Centre.
The Media Owners Association led by the chairperson Wachira Waruru argued that the media should be included among the essential service providers in case there is a lockdown since the public have to be aware of everything that is happening.
“This will enable us to continue with the critical public interest mandate of providing information and educating the public,” Waruru argued.
Mr. Waruru said that the media personnel has also taken all the precautionary measures to ensure they are safe as well as those around them.
“We have also instituted measures to secure the safety of our teams working from the offices and in the field by equipping them with protective equipment including face masks, hazmat suits, eye-protective gears, and protective boots.”
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