We had better be safe than sorry regarding coronavirus

What you need to know:

  • Our local athletes are also counting their losses with races being cancelled right, left and centre. For people who make a living by attending such races, the losses can be quite painful.
  • However, as the adage goes, better safe than sorry and it is my opinion that the missed matches and races — albeit with the loss of income- are a small price to pay when one looks at the bigger picture.

We are living in interesting times indeed. For the first time ever since I started supporting Gor Mahia, this past Saturday saw the team fail to turn up for a match over a disease.

I might be wrong but I doubt if there has ever been such an incident before.

Matches have been avoided but these have been due to reasons like the team getting banned, failing to arrive at the venue on time and many other reasons. But never has there ever been such a situation.

However, the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) — one a majority of us had never heard of before last December — is the new sheriff in town controlling how we eat, walk, sleep work and anything in between. In other words the disease has gripped the psyche of the entire world.

And so it came to pass that Kenya reported its first case of the virus last Friday and the reaction of the Ministry of Health mandarins led by the Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe was swift and decisive.

Invoking the powers of the Public Health Act, the minister in one fell sweep changed life as we know it.

Among those in Kagwe’s sights were events with huge gatherings. Although football authorities had decreed that the Gor Mahia v Posta Rangers match be played behind closed doors to minimise the chances of people getting into contact, the clubs thought otherwise and decided to play the match.

Interestingly, the media reported that a handful of Gor supporters, who had turned up for the match, expressed disappointment at the cancellation. Seems the good folks missed the memo which said there were to be no supporters in the stadium.

As it is, the fate of the Kenyan Premier League hangs in the balance with nobody sure the trajectory the coronavirus spread will take.

At least we are not alone in our misery. Even the mighty European leagues are feeling the effect of the virus. English Premier League stands suspended, Italy has run into a storm while the football nabobs worldwide are left wringing their hands not sure what to do.

Away from football, the iconic London Marathon has been suspended denying us the chance to watch the mouth watering clash between the two artists in athletics circle — Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele and Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge.

Our local athletes are also counting their losses with races being cancelled right, left and centre. For people who make a living by attending such races, the losses can be quite painful.

However, as the adage goes, better safe than sorry and it is my opinion that the missed matches and races — albeit with the loss of income- are a small price to pay when one looks at the bigger picture.

Meanwhile, wishing you all divine protection as we face this giant of a virus.