Unvaccinated Persons In Kenya To Be Denied Access To Hospitality Facilities
The Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Health Mutahi Kagwe warned Kenyans that unvaccinated persons in Kenya would be unable to access government key services, including those offered by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
Kagwe, who was accompanied by Tourism and Wildlife CS Najib Balala at the press conference on Sunday, November 21, further directed that it will be mandatory to show proof of vaccination for admission into National Parks, Game Reserves, hotels, bars and restaurants.
Kenyans will also be required to show proof of coronavirus vaccination to enter many businesses, restaurants and government offices starting next month. The major policy shift has prompted outrage in a country where less than 5% of the total population is fully vaccinated.
“Everybody seeking in-person government services should be fully vaccinated and proof of vaccination availed by December 21, 2021. Such services will include but are not limited to, KRA services, Education, immigration services, hospital and prison visitation, NTSA and port services among others. some of these directives are derived from the Public Health Act especially during a pandemic, ” he said.
The CS maintained that the move will protect government workers and service providers in other sectors since the immunized will not risk their lives serving those who have refused to be vaccinated.
“No one is saying that it is mandatory to be vaccinated but if you want to come to my office for services and everyone there is vaccinated and you are not, that is unfair. The law is clear and it is on our side. The courts cannot force somebody who is vaccinated, to entertain someone who is not vaccinated,” CS Kagwe said. “We all need to be vaccinated to ensure that we keep the economy going and make sure we do not go back to hospitalization and people suffering at home.” Unvaccinated people will also face the wrath of being locked out of public transport and hotel facilities.
To ensure that the majority of the public get vaccinated, the CS stated that the Ministry of Health(MoH) is looking forward to launching an accelerated 10-day vaccination exercise as they target to vaccinate 10 million people by the end of December.
The CS noted that he is concerned about a slowdown in vaccinations and hoped the new rules would persuade more people to get their shots. With schools closing and the country heading into the festive season, he said there were concerns that people would become complacent about public health measures, including social distancing and wearing masks.
“As we kick off the accelerated 10-day vaccination exercise, I appeal to all Kenyans and especially the elderly to turn out in large numbers and be vaccinated. The older you are the more concerned and the more emphasis we lay on you to be vaccinated. The 15-year-olds are obliged to be vaccinated because they can also be COVID-19 carriers,” he advised.
As for CS Balala, he emphasized that unvaccinated persons will be denied access to hospitality facilities urging that those who will violate the directive will be committing an offence.
“All national parks and protected areas will need to demand the same from December 21. What we want is to control the spread of infections because it is going to be a festive season and we will celebrate and enjoy but we need to do that while we are safe,” Balala said.
Further, CS Kagwe pointed out that the vaccination against COVID-19 will continue for teenagers aged 15 to 18 years old in the country. The rollout journey, which was set to leave the station on November 23, is in line with the approval of Pfizer, by the World Health Organization (WHO), for use on children aged 12 and above. Mutahi Kagwe pointed out that Pfizer is the only vaccine recommended by WHO for juvenile people.
“Because of emergency use authorization by Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) and following the WHO recommendation, I direct that we open vaccination of young people with Pfizer from Tuesday, November 23, lowering the applicable age to 15 years and above,” said the Health CS. According to Kagwe, the estimated population of this group is approximately 5.7 million.
Kenya hopes to vaccinate at least 30 million people before the end of 2022, but like many African countries, it has also struggled to gain access to vaccines.
