President Uhuru Kenyatta has extended the nationwidecurfewand the cessation movements in counties of Nairobi, MombasaKwale, Kilifi and Mandera till 6th June in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on the advice of the National Emergency Responsecommittee on coronavirus.

The President also announcedthat there will be cessation of movement of persons and passenger into and out through Kenya-Tanzania and Kenya – Somali border exceptfor cargo, beginning midnight today.

"All drivers of the cargo vehicles shall be subjected to mandatory COVID-19 disease testing and will only be granted entry into the territory of the Republic of Kenya if they test negative," the President said during his sixth address to the nation today.

He disclosed that the government will continue to take every measure to protect the lives of Kenyans from the COVID- 19 pandemic, and to plan for the recovery of the economy.

"I am as anxious as all of you, to get back to building this country. However, we will only be able to do this the sooner we sharply suppress the growth of infections," the President said after announcing 49 new positive cases of covid-19, bringing the total to 830.

"On a positive note l wantto thank the dedication and commitment of our health care workers, we have discharged 301 individuals from our health facilities having registered full recovery since the onset of this pandemic," he noted and thanked allKenyans who are adhering to the health hygiene and social distancing measures.

However, the President also notedthatfor the past one week, the country has witnessed increased imported cases among individuals crossing into the country through borders making it a grave concern.

"Among the positive cases that have been registered in the country this week, a total of 43 cases have recently crossed the border from neighbouring Somalia and Tanzania and as of yesterday, the cases across the border were distributed in Wajir 14, Isebania 10, Namanga 16, Lungalunga 2 and Loitoktok one," the President said .

If we had not undertaken this intervention, the imported cases through our borders would have today accounted for more than 50 percent of the week's infections, he emphasized.

These numbers and the spread of infection clearly indicate that if no action is taken, ALL the gains already achieved in combating this pandemic will undoubtedly be at a loss, the President noted.

Currently there are 481 cases undergoing treatment. Globally,the coronavirus pandemic has claimed over 300,000 innocent lives as of this morning from 4.7 million infections.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Kenya.