Kenyan bars shut for football 'as life more important'

Kenya's government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna has shattered the hopes of football fans who had wanted to watch Premier League matches in bars on Wednesday night.

The Premier League returns after a 100-day absence because of the coronavirus pandemic. Fixtures will be played behind closed doors as one of a host of measures to prevent any further cases of the virus.

The government spokesperson said bars would remain closed in adherence to safety measures, and added that it was better to miss a match than die from coronavirus.

He urged football fans to be patient.

Mr Oguna said a committee tasked with overseeing government response to the pandemic was looking into the possible effects of reopening bars.

On Tuesday, the health ministry extended opening hours for restaurants until 19:30 local time.

Mr Oguna tweeted his advice to football fans:

“The best place to watch the English Premier League is in a bar, but I will also tell you, there are things you will lose nothing if you forgo them for a while.

“Once life is lost, you can never reconstitute life.”

This article was originally published by BBC News. Photo: Getty Images