Kenya bans unvaccinated people from public venues starting December 21st

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Kenya has decided to ban unvaccinated people from public venues starting December 21st, ahead of the festive season. This decision is made to encourage the unvaccinated to get their COVID-19 jab as soon as possible.

If any person is not vaccinated, then he or she will be barred from bars, restaurants, hospitals, prison visits, government buildings, and public transport. Currently, less than 10% of the total population in Kenya is vaccinated.

Health Minister, Mutahi Kagwe, announced this decision and raised concern about the slow uptake, saying a 10-day vaccination campaign would begin from 26 November.

Although many African countries are facing a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, the Kenyan government is confident that it has enough doses to inoculate its population. It has so far administered only 6.4 million jabs out of the 10.7 million it has received.

Mr. Kagwe acknowledged that the rate of COVID infections has declined in the country. He said, "The current decline in the number of new infections may be attributed to a build-up of immunity both through natural exposure to the disease and the ongoing vaccination exercise. Nonetheless, we know that it's not yet time to celebrate.”

The government is targeting to inoculate 10 million people by the end of December. Starting Tuesday anyone over the age of 15 would be eligible to get the Pfizer vaccine in Kenya.