Kenya National Parks and sanctuaries will remain open to welcome visitors and nature lovers.

KWS Director General Brig. John Waweru said in a statement that KWS has ensured the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene are met ensuring that visitors remain safe.

“Kenya Wildlife Service is taking a series of measures to curb the spread of the virus including providing customers and staff members with a clean and safe environment by upholding the requisite hygiene measures and maintaining adequate contact distance as guided by the Ministry of Health,”.

He assured the public that KWS staff have been sensitised to maintain cleanliness in visitor’s parking, points of sale and visitor facilities in an effort to deliver a safe experience at the points of contact.

“We are committed to continue monitoring the situation and will provide updates as the situation evolves. The health and well being of our visitors, staff and stakeholders remain our key priority,” Brig. Waweru stated.

So far, 8, 981 people have lost their lives after being infected with COVID- 19. Over 220, 000 others are infected globally. On Wednesday 18^th March, 2020, the Kenyan government announced three more infections bringing the number of infection cases in Kenya to 7.

The Treasury is preparing undisclosed tax relief to traders and homes under a fresh bailout for coronavirus-hit businesses that will also allow personal borrowers who get into difficulties to extend their loans for up to a year.

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday said fiscal measures including tax relied will be unveiled in coming days to cushion workers and businesses from the economic slowdown triggered by the virus outbreak.

This came after bankers agreed to offer individuals relief on their personal loans should they encounter challenges and allowed small and medium enterprises to restructure their bank debts at no cost

Fears of contracting the disease has slowed down social activities in the country with malls and restaurants taking a hit, setting the stage for job cuts and reduced pay.

Lockdowns and entry bans imposed around the world to fight coronavirus has hit Kenya’s horticulture and tourism, which generated combined hard currency Sh260 billion last year.

Kenya has seven confirmed cases of Covid-19, and the government has imposed measures aimed at reducing its spread, including banning public gatherings and closing schools indefinitely.

“What we are dealing with primarily is a health crisis. But unfortunately, this is a health crisis that is bound to have financial and economic impact,” said Mr Kenyatta.

“We are also looking at other areas where from a fiscal point of view, we want to see what we can also do to support our people during this difficult time. In due course, we shall brief you.”

Treasury officials remained tight-lipped on the planned tax relief in an economic environment where the government has been battling below-target revenue collections, prompting budget cuts on non-essential items like travel.

Experts reckon Kenya should offer targeted financial packages given its constraints in raising funds, unlike cash-endowed developed economies which are implementing far-reaching fiscal stimulus plans for companies and households.

“While the government would want to issue significant tax reliefs, this looks unlikely given the revenue performance and expenditure needs like salaries and debt repayments,” Nikhil Hira, a director and tax expert at Bowmans law.

Some of the options on the cards include removal of tax on essential items like sanitisers and protective masks, delayed payment of taxes, a rejig of income tax bands to offer higher personal tax relief that stands at Sh1, 408 monthly and a reduction of VAT.

Other tax measures could target sectors heavily hit by the virus such as horticulture, whose earnings fell seven percent last year to Sh142.72 billion, and tourism, which could benefit from reduced taxation.

“What the government is likely to do is to resort to measures that will give short-term relief to businesses and individuals who are struggling because the business has scaled down,” said Mr Hira.

“These could be little but essential things like waiving PAYE for three months, delaying corporate tax payments and taking off excise duty from airtime and data to support firms working from home given their cash flows are going to be heavily impacted.”

Already, businesses are struggling with reduced cash flow, ushering in job costs and near stagnant pay.

“We don’t want this health crisis to become a financial crisis,” Dr Njoroge, the CBK governor, told a televised news conference.

Personal loans make up 28 percent of the total borrowing in the industry, Dr Njoroge said, adding that it will be up to individuals who encounter challenges to request the relief from banks.

Source: https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/economy/Uhuru-signals-tax-relief-to-boost-virus-hit-businesses/3946234-5496500-e03b3wz/index.html

 

Hotel occupancy has fallen to its lowest in the recent past as the government’s guidelines meant to contain the spread of Covid-19 result in a sharp decline of tourist numbers, and limited movements and fear of crowded space cripple restaurants.

A spot check by the Business Daily showed that hotels in tourist-dependent Coast region were recording occupancy as low as 20 per cent compared to more than 75 per cent around the same time last year.

In Nairobi, restaurants have switched to offering home delivery services to arrest a dip in walk-in clients while setting up sanitary measures and promoting safety distancing to give assurance to clients.

“Business is bad. I have seen a 50 per cent drop in clients and although we have put delivery in place it is not picking up since most of the clients are not used to it yet. If the situation persists I may be forced to close some of the branches,” city eatery Café Deli’s managing director, Obado Obadoh, said.

Sankara Hotel PR and marketing manager Keijah Bekah said business had dropped significantly since the government issued the directive limiting movements. She said the hotel management will soon make a decision on their operations.

 “We have beefed up sanitisers and temperature checks and implemented government safety guidelines but traffic has still dipped,” she said.

Diani Reef manager Jotham Mwang’ombe said client numbers cannot sustain the staff and that they will be forced to send some of them home.

Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers (KAHC) executive officer Sam Ikwaye said there is need to start planning for the future of the industry to cushion the investors.

“The industry needs more than six months to recover since it depends on advance bookings. There is need to deal with the situation at the moment if we have to recover on time. In the next one week, with the same situation, we shall not be having any international tourist in our hotels,” said Mr Ikwaye.

Travellers Hotel sales manager Bonface Wafula said the government should consider a tax waiver to hotels.

“At the moment we are operating at 29 per cent compared to 89 per cent in March last year and the numbers are going down every day,” said Mr Wafula, adding the government should consider a stimulus package to jump-start the industry.

Source: https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/corporate/companies/Hotel-occupancy-falls-on-travel-ban/4003102-5496210-11hemoq/index.html

 

Local airlines are staring at a bleak future following the outbreak of coronavirus which has so far claimed the lives of over 6,400 people across the world.

The airlines, majority of who ply local and international routes frequented by tourists, say they are staring at a sharp fall in revenues due to the ongoing cancellation of flights.

“It’s a difficult time in the industry. Numbers are plummeting,” said Safarilink chief executive Alex Avedi in a phone interview with the Shipping& Logistics yesterday.

Mr Avedi noted that following the outbreak of Covid-19 virus, cancellation of flights especially by foreign tourist who use the airlines to connect to destinations such as Maasai Mara, has been on the rise.

He noted that their travellers, who normally plan for a seven-day visit into the country are opting to reschedule their flights because, even if they were to come, they will be quarantined for 14 days.

“There are those who are worried that if they come into the country, they have to be quarantine first. No one is willing to go that route,” Mr Avedi said.

“The airline will not send home its workers during this low-season but will ask them to take unpaid leave if necessary.”

Low-cost carrier Jambojet, which has been serving both domestic and international routes, on Monday suspended its operations on the Kigali and Entebbe routes following the spread of coronavirus, which the airlines said has resulted in a decline in the number of passenger bookings.

The airline said the flights to Rwanda and Uganda will remain suspended with immediate effect in a move which is likely to further dent its revenue this financial year.

The airline, however, did not indicate when it is hoping to resume normal operations on the routes that have been cancelled.

“Over the past few weeks, there has been a global spread of Covid-19 which has resulted in a decrease in airline passengers especially on the international routes,” said the airline in a statement Monday.

“As a result, Jambojet has decided to suspend its services to Kigali, Rwanda and Entebbe, Uganda with immediate effect.”

The airline however indicated that it would rebook customers affected by suspension of flights on the routes to alternative flights.

The airline also indicated that flights on local destinations including Malindi, Ukunda, Mombasa, Kisumu as well as Eldoret will continue to operate as scheduled.

“We would like to reiterate that the safety of our passengers and staff remains of utmost importance to us. We will continue to monitor the situation and share regular updates,” said the airline.

The temporary suspension of flights by Jambojet comes barely a few days after Embattled National carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) also stopped its flight on Rome-Geneva route following the outbreak of coronavirus.

The airline in a statement released on Thursday last week said the flights to Italy and Switzerland will remain suspended effective March 13, 2020.

The loss-making airline will however continue flying to other routes albeit with adjusted schedules.

KQ also suspended flights to Malindi effective March 16 until further notice. It also suspended one flight to Mumbai, India effective March 17, 2020 to April 15, 2020.

“The remaining Mumbai KQ204/5 frequency will be upgraded to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner effective March 17, 2020 to April 15, 2020,” said KQ in statement.

The impact of coronavirus has decimated airlines across the globe, especially US and Europe, following closure of national borders and grounding of flights.

Choked by the stringent antivirus measures, America’s biggest airlines have called for more than $50 billion (Sh5 trillion) in bailout to mitigate against the effect of the pandemic.

US President Donald Trump on Monday promised his administration will give airlines “100 percent” support.

Across the globe, the airline industry is facing massive losses and widespread layoffs as lockdown keeps passengers at home.

African airlines are also beginning to feel the pinch.

Tunisia has announced it will be closing its land borders and airspace to all commercial activities from today, in a bid to protect the country from the spread of coronavirus.

All commercial flights are to be cancelled, but arranged evacuation flights will be permitted. Trade and cargo will not be affected by these measures.

Source: https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/corporate/shipping/Airlines-stare-at-bleak-future-as-corona-disrupts-travelling/4003122-5494744-7cdgx0z/index.html

 

The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) has urged Kenyans to remain calm amidst reports of the first diagnosed case of Coronavirus.

KATA CEO Ms. Agnes Mucuha stated that despite a case being reported in the country, Kenyans should continue following directives issued by the Ministry of Health that will help in stopping the spread of the highly contagious disease that has so far claimed over 4,600 lives and infected over 130, 000 others.

“We urge the public to take every precaution as they go about their business to avoid the risk of spreading the disease further. We are confident in the measures that are in place by the government to control the spread of the disease and with adherence” she stated.

The Kenyan Government, she added, is fully prepared and is following the issue closely and has set up mitigation measures to ensure the safety of its citizen.

She further called upon the public to avoid spreading unsubstantiated rumours through social media on COVID-19 to avoid causing a state of panic and misinformation.

“I encourage travellers and the public in general to seek information from credible sources like the Government websites and KATA travel agents,” the CEO urged.

She also redirected travellers to the Coronavirus Updates page on the KATA website on https://katakenya.org/corona-virus-updates/

Earlier in the week, The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife held a consultative meeting with industry stakeholders, to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and measures to be taken for purposes of risks mitigation.

KATA’s Chairman Mr. Mohammed Wanyoike led a delegation of KATA board members and the CEO Ms. Mucuha in this meeting and called on the government to consider extraordinary support measures for Kenya’s travel agents.

Following the meeting with cabinet secretary Hon. Najib Balala yesterday, the government has pledged to release USD 5 million towards public relations and marketing activities post COVID-19 pandemic that has rocked the global economy.

KATA called for the Government to consider steps to protect travel agent’s business that may suffer financial distress. These measures include a call for the government to pay all pending bills owed to travel agents, interest free grants, a relief to business PAYE, deadline extensions on bank loan premiums.

 

Hon Balala stated that he would further engage his counterpart in the Labour Ministry Mr. Simon Kiprono to discuss flexibility on labour relations matters in relation to COVID-19.

KATA expressed concern over major loss of revenue and loss of jobs should the virus continue spreading.

Ms Mucuha said, “passenger number bookings have been declining significantly following the suspension of flights, and general fear by travellers. This has also been compounded by the travel restrictions issued by the government and corporate companies in Kenya. March 2020 has witnessed a decline by 30% over last year on passenger numbers”.

The CS further assured travel agents that he will work with Treasury to fast track all pending bills owed to Travel Agents for the period 2019 in order to ease the cashflow constraints during this unprecedented time.

KATA remains proactive in providing up to date fact-based information to members and providing a clear perspective so they can make informed decisions.”

Coronavirus deaths have risen to over 4, 600 cases while the infected people are 134, 804.

The UAE has suspended, effective March 17, all visas to all foreigners, with the exception of diplomatic passport holders.

In a statement released today, the Federal Authority for Identity And Citizenship (ICA) said: “The move comes as part of the precautionary measures taken by the UAE in response to the World Health Organisation’s declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic, a development which reflects the high risks now associated with travel under the current circumstances.”

The decision does not apply to those who already have their visas issued prior to the aforementioned date.

The ICA noted that the additional precautionary decision will be valid until a mechanism for medical examination has been established in the countries of departure as part of other global measures taken for the common good of all nations of the world to curb the proliferation of the novel virus.

“The ICA affirms that the decision stems from the UAE’s deep sense of responsibility and diligent efforts in collaboration with other countries of the world to fight the coronavirus pandemic and survive this ongoing crisis,” the statement concluded.

WAM/Hatem Mohamed/Hassan Bashir

Source: https://wam.ae/en/details/1395302830665 

Travellers scrambled to rebook flights and global markets reeled on Thursday after US President Donald Trump imposed sweeping restrictions on travel from Europe, hitting battered airlines and further straining ties with the continent.

Trump ordered travel from Europe to the United States restricted for 30 days, responding to mounting pressure to take action against a rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak disrupting nearly all corners of US daily life.

“We are marshalling the full power of the federal government and the private sector to protect the American people,” Trump said in a prime-time televised address from the Oval Office on Wednesday.

“This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history.”

The travel order, which starts at midnight on Friday, does not apply to Britain, or to Americans undergoing “appropriate screenings,” Trump said.

After triggering confusion by suggesting trade with Europe would also be suspended, Trump clarified that “trade will in no way be affected.”

“The restriction stops people not goods,” he said on Twitter moments after his speech.

The surprise restrictions sent financial markets tumbling, with Euro Stoxx 50 futures plunging 8.3 percent to their lowest levels since mid-2016. US stock futures were down more than four percent.

“Already we know the economic impact is significant, and with this additional measure on top it’s just going to multiply the impact across businesses,” said Khoon Goh, head of Asia Research at ANZ in Singapore. “This is something that markets had not factored in … it’s a huge near-term economic cost.”

Trump said his government had been in frequent contact with US allies about the restriction, but European Union officials were not notified about it ahead of time, said one diplomat.

“There was no heads-up, no coordination as the president claimed,” said the diplomat, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

The restrictions will heap more pressure on airlines already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, hitting European carriers the hardest, analysts said.

FINANCIAL RELIEF

Washington, DC, resident Michelle Cravez, 30, who is visiting her brother in Prague, quickly rebooked a ticket home.

“It quickly became apparent that demand was pushing costs up and seats were going fast,” she said in a Twitter conversation with a Reuters reporter. “Shortly after, we find out that this ruling may not apply to citizens.

“Still, with everything so fluid – who knows whether flights start getting cancelled – we decided to bite the bullet and book a new itinerary that got us home before the deadline.”

In an effort to lessen the economic impact of the outbreak and the restrictions, Trump instructed the Treasury Department to defer tax payments without interest or penalties for certain business and individuals hit by the health crisis.

The president also said he would take emergency action to provide financial relief for workers who are ill, quarantined or caring for others due to coronavirus. And he said he was directing the Small Business Administration to provide capital and liquidity to firms affected coronavirus, including low-interest loans.

In Australia, the government said it would pump A$17.6 billion ($11.4 billion) into the economy to try to stop the coronavirus outbreak triggering a recession.

A senior ruling party lawmaker in Japan said it must brainstorm plans for dealing with cancelled or postponed Tokyo Olympic Games, even if that is unlikely.

SPORTS, SCHOOLS DISRUPTED

Trump’s travel order, which applies to 26 European countries, capped a day of mounting upheavals on the domestic front from the highly contagious respiratory illness, also known as Covid-19.

In the hard-hit Seattle area, the largest public school district in Washington state announced an unprecedented two-week suspension of all classes.

The greater Seattle area is the epicentre of the deadliest, and one of the largest, clusters of coronavirus infections in the United States, accounting for the bulk of at least 38 US fatalities from the disease.

Washington state has documented 373 coronavirus cases, including 30 deaths. There were 1,311 cases in total in the United States, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

The city of San Francisco banned non-essential social events of 1,000 people or more, and major sports competitions were affected.

The National Basketball Association said it was suspending the season until further notice after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the coronavirus while the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) said its wildly popular “March Madness” basketball tournament games would be played in arenas without fans.

Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks announced on Twitter that he and his wife, Rita Wilson, had tested positive for coronavirus in Australia, where he was on a film shoot.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the annual St Patrick’s Day parade would be postponed, following several other cities that have likewise scrubbed their March 17 holiday celebrations.

Source: https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/news/world/Trump-restricts-travel-from-Europe-over-coronavirus/4259366-5488114-ixvuin/index.html

 

The cancellation of major international conferences slated for this month over fears of coronavirus (Covid-19) has dealt a major blow to the tourism sector.

This is coupled with lower arrival numbers for Moi International Airport (MIA), the country’s tourism hub, in December last year, sending the sector into panic.

The latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that arrivals at the Mombasa airport slumped by more than 6,000 passengers during the December 2019 peak season compared to the previous year.

Tourism stakeholders are now warning of worse projections this year due to the virus threat globally.

Arrivals at MIA, Kenya’s second-largest airport, dropped from 18,403 in 2018 to 12,373 in 2019. The numbers are expected to drop even further in the first two months of this year, as travellers call off plans over the illness.

Three major conferences planned for this month in Mombasa and Diani have been called off, prompting over 600 cancellations, even after advance preparations had been initiated. This has led to uncertainty in the hospitality industry.

Apart from the cancelled meetings, others have been postponed and the fate of other conferences is yet to be known.

With virus denting returns in the hospitality sector, hotel owners now want the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) to be flexible to all the businesses that have loans.

Hosting prestigious global events could have cushioned them during this low season, the players said.

Pride Inn Paradise Beach Resort and Spa in Shanzu was set to host the 63rd Airport Council International (ACI) from March 14 to 20. But the 400-guest event was cancelled at the last minute.

ACI is a non-profit organisation representing the world’s airports.

The delegates from more than 20 countries, including Canada, Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Madagascar, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire, Dubai and Mozambique, were expected to troop to Mombasa to discuss the air transport industry.

Senegal and South Africa have reported cases of Covid-19. Nigeria has also confirmed cases of the virus, which has affected more than 90,000 people and killed over 3,000 globally.

“We have had a few cancellations and postponing the meetings especially those involving international delegates due to the virus,” Pride Inn managing director Hasnain Noorani said.

Speaking to the Nation by phone, Mr Noorani said his hotel had received cancellations of “other, small meetings” due to the government’s directive.

Lower revenues

Mr Noorani said his hotel has witnessed about four or five lunch meetings cancelled.

“Cancelling the meetings translates to reduced revenues. The fact that the meetings were slated for March and we had done much of our planning, puts us in uncertainty, we don’t know how to handle things,” he said.

Mr Noorani says he had planned the costs, and put up security and software in place. He said this was a hard time in the industry.

He said a meeting stakeholders had with Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala on Friday last week was to mitigate the financial repercussions.

Mr Noorani urged journalists to be sensitive when reporting on the coronavirus threats.

“In the meeting, we discussed how we can involve the KBA to see how they can reduce or be flexible to all businesses that have loans. We are also trying to work with the government to sensitise the masses on the disease,” Mr Noorani added.

Serena Beach Hotel and Spa general manager Herman Mwasaghua said the virus has caused a crisis in the hospitality sector.

“That meeting involving foreigners was expected to be a boost as the delegates had booked a number of hotels outside the venue. This is a big blow, it is biting — the effect is so significant because a number of cancellations have been witnessed. We have lost three groups of business people from China and South Africa who have cancelled their meeting” he said.

‘Tough scenario’

Mr Mwasaghua said delegates to the forums had booked over 50 rooms at his hotel.

“Others just cancelled yesterday, we have had to adjust but it is a tough scenario for us. We were to have a group of about 40 people from different countries, who were to stay here for almost a week but they have cancelled until further notice,” Mr Mwasaghua said, adding that Africa is lucky the infection has not been widespread, giving hope to industry players.

Mr Mwasaghua said some of his clients said their airlines are flying airplnes half-empty.

Other delegates who were expected in the meeting are Mr Alex Gitari, acting managing director for Kenya Airports Authority; Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary James Macharia; his Tourism and Wildlife counterpart Najib Balala; Dr Dirk Glaesser, the director of the Department of Sustainable Development of Tourism; Capt Gilbert Kibe, director-general of the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority; and other aviation experts from more than 10 countries.

But the Hoteliers, led by Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers executive officer Sam Ikwaye, said the cancellations will affect businesses and the airline sector because conferences support other businesses, including airlines.

Meanwhile, the government has set up more than 100 hospital beds in preparation for possible coronavirus cases.

Health ministry Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has assured the public that health workers are well prepared to stop the spread of the virus. No case has tested positive for the virus.

“We have trained over 1,100 health workers, we have deployed them to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and other areas. We are also sensitising and cascading this training all the way to the community levels. We have procured sufficient personal protective equipment,” Mr Kagwe said.

Mbagathi Hospital has set up 120 beds for potential cases.

The virus’ slow arrival to Africa has given governments more time to set up testing and treatment centres, with the help of the World Health Organization and other groups.

The deadly virus is believed to have emanated from an outdoor food market in the city of Wuhan, China.

Source: https://www.nation.co.ke/news/Coronavirus–Tourism-sector-feels-pinch/1056-5486418-v97vtw/index.html