Kenyan citizens who do not have at least one vaccine behind, already from today. Wednesday, December 22 were not allowed to board domestic flights and from tomorrow the controls will continue even on the trains of the Nairobi-Mombasa fast railway. The clampdown to convince the population to begin the vaccination process, already announced a month ago (thus giving the opportunity to those who were planning to travel for tourism or family reunification during the holidays to adapt) but taken lightly by many Kenyans, has come into force in spite of the stop of the High Court, which was considered irrelevant by the Government, as the petition would have leveraged the alleged compulsory vaccine.
Already in recent days, the Minister of Health Mutahi Kagwe has reiterated that there is no obligation to vaccinate, but at the same time we must protect those who have been vaccinated and take all precautions, respecting the protocols. Especially in the field of transport and tourism, where social distances are difficult to implement (especially in the first case) and the desire for fun prevails over the rest (in the second).
Yesterday, as the first controls began in public offices, the Head of the Administrative Secretariat of Health, Mercy Mwangangi, confirmed that the Government's directive must also be respected for the following activities, which will be subject to occasional controls:
PARKS
HOTELS
RESTAURANTS
BARS
NATIONAL FLIGHTS
RAILWAYS
VEHICLES FOR PASSENGER TRANSPORT
Mwangangi reiterated that foreigners coming from Europe will also have to be vaccinated and show their passport. He did not specify, however, whether a vaccine is sufficient as in the case of Kenyans or a certificate of complete vaccination is needed. While with regard to exemptions, only a doctor authorized by the Ministry of Health can issue authorizations to access services reserved for vaccinated people, without having done even one dose. This could affect not only allergy sufferers, but also those who have recently recovered from the virus.
Proof of vaccination will be a requirement not only for access to public and tourist facilities, according to Mwangangi, but also for any organized event.
"Event organizers must ensure that all protocols issued by the Ministry of Health are observed," he confirmed, "All participants must provide a certificate of vaccination."
Unlike in Italy, it will not be possible to take a PCR swab in lieu of a vaccination test to gain access to a restaurant or event, because the government's aim is to vaccinate as many people as possible, as Kenya is still far behind international standards and this has made the omicron variant more dangerous and contagious than in other areas. It is no coincidence that the percentage of those infected by tampon has risen dramatically in a few days, reaching the threshold of 30%. On Wednesday, December 22, Kenya recorded 3328 new infections.