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Can relaxed COVID-19 restrictions ease food insecurity among the rural population in Kenya?

Kenya confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 12, 2020. Since then, the Ministry of Health has confirmed a cumulative total of 98,432 cases of new infections, 81,255 recoveries and 1,716 deaths as of January 12, 2021. The initial response by the Kenya government was to implement a range of policy measures in efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. These included:

  • Restricted movement of people;
  • Countrywide dusk to dawn curfew;
  • Ban on dense crowds of more than 100 persons;
  • Closure of universities and schools, restaurants and other entertainment spaces, and some open-air markets, which are managed by county governments and hence the discretionary to close only some of them;
  • Ban on all inbound and outbound international flights restricted cross-border movement of people and;
  • Mandatory testing of drivers of vehicles transporting cargo over long distance.

Covid-19 Impacts on Food Systems in SSA - Evidence Synthesis

The Covid-19 pandemic arrived on the world stage in early 2020 and, as of the time of this writing, shows little sign of abating. Thus far, countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have mostly evaded an intense, direct public health effect of Covid-19, and this is indeed something to celebrate. However, the Covid-19 pandemic, inclusive of the associated policy responses,10has affected food systems in SSA through numerous other avenues. The pandemic triggered a global recession, which in turn has negatively affected international supply and demand for some agricultural imports and exports and broadly reduced the flow of international remittances into lower-income countries.

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