Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic

The corona virus COVID-19 is driving the whole world into a state of panic. The pandemic has affected some of the biggest economies in the world and there seems to be no end in sight with the videos and other forms of communication being shared which exacerbate the situation. In Kenya we are in a state of acquiescence with majority of the population not really clear on what to expect or which actions to take.

A lock down is a preemptive action plan implemented to address an unusual scenario or a weakness in system to preempt any danger to ensure the safety and security of people, organisation and system. The focus for preventive actions is to avoid dangers and risks for this case spread of this killer disease and has been on touted as a future possible move by the government to control the pandemic.

The Cabinet Secretary of Health Hon. Mutahi Kagwe on the 20th of March 2020 announced a raft of measures to tame the possibility of the spread of the virus which included a directive to Public Service Vehicles PSVs (Matatus, Commuter trains and buses) to carry passengers to a maximum of 60% of actual capacity of the vehicles, operators to provide sanitizers for passengers and fumigation of the vehicles after every trip. The CS asked supermarkets to limit the number of customers In their respective stores dependent on store size, manage queues maintaining set social distance between patrons and encourage cashless payment, open air markets authorities keep their markets clean and fumigated, he also instructed bars and other entertainment joints to close their premises by 7:30pm beginning Monday the 23rd of March 2020. He went further and asked Kenyans to prepare for the worse as the government works on combating the spread on the pandemic.

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Governor Patrick Njoroge also added to the arsenal in the fight against the pandemic by releasing Ksh. 7.4 billion to the government, money gained during the mop up of the old 1,000 notes last year (2019). The sum comes from notes which were not returned back to the system by holders during the grace period.

Private businesses and corporations have also joined in the fight against the virus by allowing their staff to work from home, providing safety guidelines on interactions at the workplace both between colleagues and customers, hand washing facilities and sanitizing solutions.

Point to note from the updates both by the government authorities and media being shared on lock downs is that the pandemic can be managed if set rules and regulations are adhered to. Lock downs which limit interactions in the population that have been enforced in some countries such as China, Iran, South Korea, USA and Spain have shown significant impact on the spread of the virus with its citizens being ascetic.

The new restrictions on interactions and operations are bound to have negative economic impacts especially in a country where 36.1% of the population live below the poverty line and 51% live hand to mouth.

There is still a long way to go towards the control of the virus since new infections and deaths are still being reported in some countries, but the show of commitment by the government is boosting confidence. The health impact of the virus is huge indicated by the massive loss of lives and the economic impact is bound to be higher but as the saying goes as long as we have life there is hope.