If Nairobi is crying, the Kenyan coast is certainly not laughing.
Italian restaurateurs in the capital are once again having to reckon with the total closure of their businesses and the possibility of making only deliveries, which is more or less equivalent to closing down, also because the curfew in the new 'red zones' has been brought forward by two hours, to 8 p.m., which for locals means closing down at 7 p.m. to allow employees to go home.
"It's unfortunate news, but also inevitable and right - says Gianpaolo Zappa, owner of Cascina di Karen, inside The Hub shopping centre - the result of a situation that has become worrying in the city's health facilities. My thoughts go immediately to the staff who will once again find themselves in precarious conditions. The previous time, we had made sure that no one was left at home, applying the logic of shifts, but now one wonders if it is appropriate to keep open.
In the capital it is now practically impossible to find a place in the wards equipped for oxygen therapy and the Government's request, apart from the lockdown of the 'infected' area, as it is defined, which includes the five neighbouring counties of Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos, Nakuru and Kajiado, is to move as little as possible.
Outbound flights from the capital will also cease today, while the last scheduled inbound flight from Malindi and Mombasa is scheduled for this afternoon.
After that, anyone wishing to travel to other counties during the Easter holidays will have to do so with prior authorisation and with their own vehicle, because even public transport will not be allowed to travel outside the infected area.
Hoteliers and hospitality businesses in the coastal resorts have received a huge blow. Bookings for next week were good and 90 per cent of occupants were arriving from Nairobi. Now everything will have to be reviewed and the tourist season can be considered closed until next July, although not everyone will close.
Thanks to aggressive and targeted marketing we would have had a full hotel," explains Roberto Marini, owner of the Ocean Beach Resort in Malindi, "our clientele would have come from the capital and with our bed and breakfast formula the town's restaurants would have benefited too. Unfortunately this decision, which was necessary anyway because the situation in Nairobi is critical, severely penalises us and forces us to go back to twelve months ago. This time we could decide to stay open, and we probably will, but certainly in order not to make anyone redundant we will have to establish a policy of reduced hours and shifts, with an inevitable reduction in wages. We hope that we can return to normal as soon as possible.
This sentiment is shared by other hoteliers who have been doing a great job lately in reviving Malindi, such as Antonio Colleluori of Leopard Point and Francesca Biancacci of The Lawford.
Neighbouring Watamu will also suffer from the lack of arrivals from Nairobi and little will change the crisis situation for homeowners who have anticipated their arrival and will stay in the holiday resort.
"Here the situation was good and having also organised events in compliance with Covid-19 protocols we have not seen an increase in contagions," explains Roberto Lenzi, owner of two hotels, Crystal Bay and Seven Island, as well as Paparemo Beach, which will inevitably say goodbye after a season, in the emergency, less negative than I would have expected.
The situation in Diani and Mombasa is no different. The Easter holidays were the last real opportunity to make money, and the very few international tourists arriving will not be able to change the cards much. With the latest presidential decree preventing local tourism from moving from Nairobi, the season is practically over.