On April 1, 2020, industry representatives were notified by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) that the country’s importation of used garments and shoes had been suspended until further notice. KEBS said it was implementing the ban as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). However, as SMART and other stakeholders pointed out, numerous studies have shown that COVID-19 may be detectable on hard, non-porous surfaces like plastics and metals for hours and potentially up to 2 to 3 days, and it is even less likely to survive on soft, porous surfaces like textiles including rugs, carpets, shoes and clothing, new or used. Used clothing that is shipped overseas is typically in transit for weeks, if not months at a time –far longer than the virus has ever been shown to survive on even the most hospitable non-porous hard surfaces.

On July 6,2020President Uhuru Kenyatta outlined his plans for the phased reopening of Kenyafrom its COVID-19 lockdown. In his statement, he instructed Mitumba trade to resume following the development of guidelines by the ministries of trade and health.Within the last month, the local Mitumba Association provided draft protocols to the committee tasked with reviewing the safety protocols. The associationisawaiting the Kenyan government’s final approval ofthe draft procedures.