Awareness on Covid must go on till the end
Members of the public going about their business on a busy street within Nairobi's CBD in this picture taken on January 5, 2021.
What you need to know:
- As such, as the holiday season begins this December, we must continue wearing masks in public as much as possible.
- Politicians and political parties should also take their place in managing rally and campaign events according to Ministry of Health guidelines.
There has been much celebration since the President lifted the night curfew that had been in place as part of a wider strategy to control the spread of Covid-19. This interpretation of stay-in-place guidelines and lockdowns was intended to limit non-essential movement, and when viewed together with social distancing, mask wearing and hand hygiene, was working towards the cumulative goal of reducing the risk of new infections, hospitalisations and death.
The lifting of this curfew thus led to increased economic activity, with vendors able to offer services for longer hours, including bringing transport industry operators back on the roads. The hospitality industry is also preparing their return, no doubt excited about the December holiday timing, traditionally a high-season, high-revenue time. Hundreds of thousands of Kenyans working in this and allied industries are rightfully celebrating this increasing potential for new and restored livelihoods after two years of strain, stress and uncertainty.
However, we must not be lulled into complacency. The coronavirus has continued to mutate, with Omicron as the newest variant of concern. Global news falsely attributed its origins to South Africa, but recent reports reveal the variant was recorded in Europe several days before South African scientists, with transparency and integrity, reported its existence to the world.
While more information is being sought, our joy at lifted lockdowns should not deceive us into ignoring the reality: the global coronavirus pandemic is still very present, even if the wave of new infections in Kenya has reduced.
Continue wearing masks
As such, as the holiday season begins this December, we must continue wearing masks in public as much as possible. Further, we must continue watching out for fevers and coughs, and tracking moments of potential contact with those who could be infected and avoiding high-risk situations as much as possible, to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.
Politicians and political parties should also take their place in managing rally and campaign events according to Ministry of Health guidelines, which all other industries are being urged to follow.
Finally, vaccination is key. Reasons for vaccine refusal and hesitancy must be understood and dealt with sensitively, so that Kenyans can make the choice to be vaccinated from a place of confidence.
The strong evidence that vaccination protects people from severe Covid illness, hospitalisation and death, must take into account that Kenyans, like all human beings, prefer to discuss matters with trusted sources before making important decisions.
As such, trusted information sources must be identified, educated and mobilised to help accelerate vaccination among our first-line responders, the vulnerable and the wider population. Only then can we be sure that we are doing all we can, as we join and strengthen focused African and global efforts to eradicate Covid-19.
The writer is a policy analyst. [email protected]
