ANYANGO:To tame Covid-19 spread, Kenyans must obey government directives

The year 2020 has been challenging for the world.

The first case of coronavirus was registered in Kenya in March as cases in other parts of the world were increasing exponentially. Africa was the last continent to be hit by the virus.

MANAGE VIRUS

But now that the virus is in Kenya, we can reflect on the good job the government has done to manage its spread.   

Without teamwork from the citizens, politicians, as well as healthcare workers, the situation would likely have got out of control.

Most parents are spending more time attending to their families. Children, too, are doing their best under lockdown.

Teachers are showing extraordinary resilience through online teaching to keep learners busy during the pandemic. The response to coronavirus is emblematic of wider social trends in Kenya.

The trust that we have placed in the government to guide us out of this pandemic is immense. Kenya was one of the first African states to impose a lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.

CURFEW

The government put in place a countrywide dawn to dusk curfew and suspended travel in and out of Nairobi city.

The government also set up an emergency task force to develop a strategy to respond to the pandemic. The government called on all citizens to wear face masks in public places and urged all citizens to stay at home.

This plan has been effective. We are having a hard time, but nothing is worth risking the lives of our loved ones for. The economy will bounce back at the right time. So far, our medical system has not been overwhelmed because of our unity.

Proverbs 17:22 says: “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

While we are waiting for scientists to come up with a vaccine or at least an effective treatment for Covid-19, this is just about the best advice we can get.

And who knows, it might even be Kenyan scientists who discover the cure. A team at Kenyatta National Hospital has already proposed three potential treatments for Covid-19 for clinical trials.

OPTIMISM

If we lose the optimism that has been helping us through this whole thing, then what will we have left? The situation would be much worse if we let tribalism tear us apart.

It takes proactive participation to stop something like Covid-19 from spreading. If we gave up and stopped following Ministry of Health guidelines, we would be allowing the crushed spirit to dry up our bones.

There is no better medicine than a joyful heart.

Many countries were not lucky to implement quick decisions made by their leaders.

They have lost so many people to the virus and the national consciousness will suffer from the lasting tragedy. Let us be joyful for all that we have. We will only get stronger.

MEGAN ANYANGO, Nairobi