The government should ease Covid-19 control restrictions to revive the economy, Othaya MP Gichuki Mugambi has said.
Mugambi said people have lost jobs following the restrictions, leading to an economic slowdown.
The call comes a day after Nyeri recorded its first two cases of Covid-19 on Thursday.
The lawmaker said there is a danger of more people facing the risk of food insecurity if the restrictions continue.
In Othaya, he said, about 2,000 people could be food insecure.
The MP said on Thursday that Nyeri is an agricultural area and people have not had a lot of challenges with the disease.
“People are able to work on their farms as they keep a social distance. Like the tea industry, we have no reason to reduce the number of hours people pick tea. Right now there is a lot of tea and if people are given the opportunity, they will not be begging for food relief,” he said.
Mugambi said provided there are no people coming into the area infecting residents, they will be safe as they mainly move from their farms to tea buying centres.
The MP said the government is doing a lot in terms of economic stimulus to ensure that the lives of people will normalise quickly after Covid-19.
“But we are looking forward to the easing of the lockdown so that these people can progress with the local economy,” he said.
Mugambi said the biggest challenge would be the restaurants and bars where people may have problems keeping a social distance.
The legislator noted that some of the traders have been able to comply with the new rules and opened and jobs are being created.
However, he said, people should be disciplined and observe all the measures by the government to prevent the disease's spread.
(edited by o. owino)
