Hello and welcome to Business Weekly with Lucy Burton.

Today we'll be looking at why one of the poorest countries in Latin America, El Salvador,

decided to make Bitcoin legal tender.

We'll also find out what happened when the cryptocurrency crashed on the first day it was rolled out.

In a few weeks' time, the matriarch of European politics, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, will step down.

We'll hear what issues are playing on the minds of German voters as they get ready to head to the polls.

And for years, Larmu, Kenya's ancient trading port has been in decline. But the government

hopes the opening of a new deep sea port means that it can be a commercial superstar once more.

But we'll begin the program further inland in Nairobi, where COVID curfews have been extended

due to a rise in cases. Nearly 5,000 people have died of the disease in Kenya

since the pandemic began and the vaccination program has been slow. And whilst case numbers have

been lower than in other countries, the economic impact has been huge. My colleague Vivian

Nunes has been hearing how some Kenyans have been affected.

Like much of Sub-Saharan Africa, the official numbers here in Kenya suggest the country has escaped the worst of the coronavirus.

Even so, there are around 700 new cases reported every day, and there have been nearly 5,000 COVID deaths since the outbreak began.

In the early stages of the pandemic, strict lockdowns were put in place, and there are still

an overnight curfew. The economic impact of those measures has been enormous, especially

on the millions of workers who make up Kenya's informal economy.

Street vendors, house cleaners, restaurant staff and others suddenly found themselves sent

home from work, often with zero financial support. The situation for many was dire.

Among them was Josephine Malchiwa. My friend sent me some little money.

So I bought the food that I've been using.

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