Get up, Kenya! Coronavirus is real and deadly

At ground zero in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus first originated late last year, drastic measures were taken by authorities in an attempt to curb the spread of the disease.

What followed was a massive lockdown in Hubei, China – the largest and most populous province of nearly 60 million people.

This disease has since been declared a pandemic, and Kenyans have over the last few weeks been calling for the evacuation of citizens working or studying in Asia and Europe, which are the worst hit continents.

However, much to the dismay of many, the government ruled this out and said that “they are safer staying where they are”, and moved to release Sh1.3 million to be shared among the 100 Kenyan students in Hubei.

Tracking coronavirus

As the world engages in a mad rush against time to stop the spread of the virus and find a cure, we sounded up four students who are residing in various hard-hit countries.

Robi Chacha Mosenda, 27, Advocate
San Francisco, US

On Monday last week, a three-week total lockdown was ordered which affected about seven million people.

Only petrol stations, food delivery services, grocery stores and supermarkets are open, while health workers, firefighters and the police are the only employees who are allowed to go to work. Restaurants are only offering takeaway services.

San Francisco is not under total lockdown, but most organisations have asked their staff to work from home and to avoid using public transport or going to public places.

Supplies are easy to get but because of the high number of people shopping in bulk, supermarket shelves are almost always empty.

I was quite scared last week, so I did some shopping for essential stuff like antibacterial soap and wet wipes.

Residents are complying strictly with the orders, and trains are only allowing passengers who are offering essential services.

In the state of California, where I live, more than 500 cases have been reported and at least 12 people have died.

I love going to the gym, but it is now closed so I try to work out in my house every morning, and take frequent walks in the evenings.

My organisation has an elaborate work-from-home policy, and I regularly hold video calls with my colleagues to check on them and catch up with any new information or developments. Through it all, I’m trying to remain positive.

The government and some well-known personalities are offering tremendous support to ease the effects of the lockdown.

For instance, Golden State Warriors basketball player Steph Curry is running a campaign to raise funds to help children who normally depend on school-based feeding programmes, so that they can be fed even if they are not in school.

Everywhere I look, people are walking around with gloves and masks to avoid contracting or spreading the virus.

I am monitoring the situation in Kenya via social media, and I regularly call my family and friends to check on them and to remind them to keep safe and clean during this time.

I advise my fellow Kenyans to stay informed and positive, and not to panic.

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Caroline Jelagat, 28, Engineering Technologist
Enschede city, Netherlands

When the first case of coronavirus was reported in Netherlands on February 27, there was relative calm, although a number of safety precautions were immediately put in place.

As at March 18, more than 1,700 cases had been reported, and 43 patients had died.

I am keenly following the World Health Organisation (WHO) safety guidelines regarding hygiene and physical distancing, and I have also bought enough supplies for my own comfort.

Authorities here have been providing real time updates via social media because most public places and recreational facilities have been closed and people advised to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people.

Physical distancing is being enforced to the letter. I am working from home, and my employer has made sure that my colleagues and I have all the materials we need to work.

I frequently call my colleagues or communicate with them via e-mails. My job is quite demanding, so I rarely get bored in my house.

However, I sometimes miss my friends and detest the fact that I cannot meet them as often as I’d like.

Thankfully, I have two housemates who are fun to hang around, and with whom we talk about everything that is happening.

I have also maintained close contact with my friends back home via WhatsApp group chats to update them on new happenings, and also to check on them.

There is a lot of panic buying, but many supermarkets have taken it upon themselves to promptly restock their shelves in light of the high demand for basic commodities.

I appeal to Kenyans to avoid panic and to take the WHO guidelines very seriously. Remember to support each other during these difficult times.

To my mother, Grace Jeptoo Rotich, my brother Alphonse Kimeli of Cheplaskei farm in Eldoret, and the extended Rotich family, Tuko pamoja!

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Linda Achieng, 25, Software Engineer
California, US

The last time we were allowed to go to our office was March 6. Since then, I have been working from home.

I attend meetings daily at 9am via Zoom, but our weekly meetings were cancelled.

California has recorded gradual increase in confirmed cases, so normal greetings such as handshakes, fist bumps and high fives are currently being avoided.

There’s a lot of fear all over. So many people are walking around wearing masks, while hand sanitisers and paper towels are already out of stock.

Whenever they are made available, they run out by 9am!

Now that parks, cinemas, malls and restaurants are closed, there’s really nothing much one can do except stay at home.

Our company regularly sends out communication asking us to drink warm water, eat balanced diets and exercise.

My doctors and dentist appointments were all cancelled because the doctors don’t want to risk spreading the virus within the hospital.

The lockdown will remain in place until April 7, and police have a right to stop you and conduct random tests on you if you’re found outside after 6pm.

If your body temperature is abnormally high, you are forcefully taken for quarantine, no matter your age.

At the beginning of last week, the elderly were asked to stay at home since they are at a higher risk of contracting the disease.

For this, most local restaurants were closed since most of their loyal customers are the aged. Food delivery apps are only providing no-contact delivery.

The driver leaves the food at your door, and you pick it only once they’ve left.

Shopping apps like InstaCart, which initially took no more than two hours to make deliveries, now take two days because of the exponential increase in the number of clients.

This place has always been lonely because people are often very busy, but the fact that one cannot go out makes things worse.

Those with mental health issues are having a hard time because they can’t meet the psychiatrists who could help them with their anxiety, or friends and family members who could uplift their moods.

Many employees are being laid off, and this is contributing to the high number of suicide cases because even though there is no money, the bills have to be paid.

I’d advice my fellow Kenyans to act before the situation gets out of hand. Observe high standards of hygiene, eat healthy foods and avoid close contact with others. Also, send us money!

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Kaduki Francis, 24, Student
Rome, Italy

The first case was reported in the northern part of Italy about a month ago.

There was no tension at all because the medics were confident that they could effectively contain the situation, so it was business as usual.

But as time went by, more and more cases were recorded. The government’s first move was to partially restrict movement in the affected region, and also its population’s interaction with the rest of the country.

At that time, schools were still in session although some students were avoiding handshakes.

Within no time, new cases were reported in the capital, and then hell broke loose.

Schools were closed for a week, but church meetings were still going on albeit with low attendance because many had begun shunning public gatherings and practicing physical distancing.

Towards the end of the week-long orders on closure of schools, the prime minister extended the period by a month, and also announced other nationwide quarantine orders.

I wasn’t prepared. In fact, I was lucky that I had done some dry-food shopping that could last me a week or so.

At that time, I didn’t expect the lockdown to go on for longer than seven days. But things have escalated beyond my wildest imagination.

Italy is on total lockdown. I am exercising self-quarantine and I haven’t left my house in 10 days!

Very strict measures have been put in place. Almost everything has been closed except for essential services like pharmacies, hospitals and supermarkets, but many shelves are already empty and one has to stand in long, winding queues just to buy basic items.

Movement has been greatly restricted, and fewer and fewer people are being allowed outside.

PENALTY
Police are constantly patrolling the streets and asking anyone caught outside their homes for documentation, stating the specific reasons they are not at home.

Those who don’t have any written explanations are punished. At the start of lockdown, the fine was Sh23,000 (€200), but that has since been increased to Sh57,000 (€500), or three months in jail.

However, we are allowed to go out for a walk, a jog, or to take pets for walks as long as you observe social-distancing rules.

Transportation around the city remains functional, although most buses and trains are empty, and their operational time has also been significantly reduced.

I spent the first days of the lockdown catching up on news from the internet because I was constantly worried about my siblings and parents.

But now, to kill boredom, I read a lot. The university has organised online classes that help me stay engaged throughout the day.

Since I can’t interact physically with my neighbours, we regularly come out on our balconies to sing and cheer each other up.

Thanks to WhatsApp, I have been in constant communication with most of my friends, updating them on the current happenings in Italy.

As the interim chairman of the Kenya Students Association here, it is my job to ensure that there is good flow of information among students, and also between the students and the Kenyan embassy.

I’d like to tell my fellow Kenyans that coronavirus is real. Let’s not make the mistakes that other countries made out of lack of information.
I would also like to thank and appreciate my family and friends who have been very supportive during these trying moments. Being alone in a foreign country is not easy.

I wish the government could offer financial support to students in the diaspora so that they don’t have to travel back home. This will help reduce the spread of the disease.