Alcohol manufacturers and importers have petitioned the State to publish guidelines on consumption of beer in bars amid a spike of coronavirus cases and deaths.
The firms, through their lobby– Alcohol Beverages Association of Kenya (Abak)—asked the Health ministry to publish the rules based on the standards operating procedures agreed ahead of reopening bars in September.
Bars had committed to cut sitting capacity by half under social distance rules, have contact free-bill payment, restrict drinking at the counters and some were to instil protection screens to curb spread of Covid-19.
But since reopening of bars on September 28, the Health ministry is yet to publish rules to guide sit-down drinking in public places.
This comes amid a spike in Covid-19 cases that has seen infections jump 45 per cent to 56,601 over the past month while deaths have increased by 42 per cent to 1,027 in the same period.
“It was expected that the standards operating procedures would be published after the presidential address to allow…compliance with Covid rules within bars and pubs. However, the procedures are yet to be published,” Abak said in a letter to the Health ministry.
“In the absence of the protocols, Abak has observed unsafe socialising behaviour by a few establishments that are operating with little regard to the Covid-19 guidelines.”
Kenya shut down bars on March 25 before the partial reopening on September.
Alcohol sales plummeted as businesses continue to reel from the order that only allows for take-away, prompting firms like East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL) to announce a 39 per cent drop in net profit to Sh7 billion for the year ended June 2020.
Abak reckons that 20 per cent of the bars remains shut due to outstanding rent and lack of cash.
EABL had announced a Sh532 million ($5 million) recovery fund to help pubs and bars resume trade post-lockdown.The two-year plan dubbed “Raising the Bar” is part of the Sh10.6 billion ($100 million) kitty rolled out from June 1 in different markets through EABL’s parent firm, Diageo.EABL says the recovery plan will offer targeted support like purchasing equipment such as hygiene kits, permanent sanitiser dispenser units, hand sanitisers, masks, and protection screens for bars that cannot maintain the one metre social distance.The firm will offer the bars hardware and not cash through the recovery plan that comes in form of a free grant.President Uhuru Kenyatta will today meet governors to review measures aimed at curbing the spread of the […]
