Alcohol manufacturers and importers have petitioned the State to publish guidelines for the consumption of beer in bars amid a spike of coronavirus cases and deaths.
The firms through their lobby — Alcohol Beverages Association of Kenya (Abak) –have asked the Health ministry to publish beer-drinking rules based on the standard operating procedures agreed ahead of reopening bars in September.
Bars had committed to cut sitting capacity by half under social distancing rules, offer contact free-bill payment, restrict drinking at the counters and install protection screens in efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.
But since reopening of the bars on September 28, the Health ministry is yet to issue rules to guide 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 jumped by 42 per cent to 1, 027 in the same period.
Operating procedures
"It was expected that the standards operating procedures would be published after the presidential address to allow… compliance with Covid-19 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 28.
Alcohol sales plunged due to strict Covid-19 safety measures.The East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL) recorded a 39 per cent drop in profit to Sh7 billion for the year ended June 2020.Abak reckons that 20 per cent of the bars remain shut due to outstanding rent and a lack of cash.The 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 said the recovery plan would offer targeted support like purchasing equipment such as hygiene kits, permanent sanitiser dispenser units, hand sanitisers, masks, and protection screens for bars.The recovery plan comes as a grant for the bar operators.President Uhuru Kenyatta will today meet governors to review measures aimed at curbing the spread of the pandemic.