Kenya has taken the opportunity of the coronavirus pandemic to promote cashless transactions, where it is already a pioneer.
The East African state’s largest mobile phone operator, Safaricom, has scrapped fees for mobile money transactions below 1,000 shillings ($10; £8) in order to encourage cashless payments.
“While the immediate objective is to reduce the risk of transmission of Covid-19 [coronavirus] by handling banknotes, this will also reduce the use of cash in the economy over the medium term,” the Central Bank of Kenya said.
This is just one of a raft of measures Kenya has put in place since reporting its first case on Friday – that of a 27-year-old woman who flew in from the US via London.
The country is in a partial lockdown after President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the closure of schools, and imposed sweeping travel restrictions.
Travellers from any country with a single case of the virus have been barred from entering Kenya for the next 30 days. Only Kenyans and foreigners with residence permits will be allowed in, so long as they agree to be quarantined.
The gravity of the crisis became clear when President Kenyatta decided to address the nation on Sunday, a non-working day. He was flanked by a coterie of cabinet ministers.
As the president approached the podium outside Harambee House, his office, he did not shake hands with any of them, setting an example on how to prevent the spread of the virus.
Mr Kenyatta announced that two more cases had been detected, from among the 27 people who had interacted with the first patient.
He ordered everyone who had entered Kenya in the last 14 days to self-quarantine, and said anyone with a cough or fever should be tested for the virus.
President Kenyatta rallied Kenyans to play their part in the effort to safeguard lives.
“This pandemic will test us, as it is testing all countries in every corner of the world, but I do not believe it will defeat us. If we pull together, and everybody does their part, we shall overcome its worst impacts,” he said.
Source:Fiilafmonline/BBC
