Might Covid-19 have left our minds and souls poisoned?

It started as an outbreak somewhere in China, turned into an epidemic, quickly metamorphosed into a pandemic and now it's become endemic. No Kenyan was ready for the effects. Schools, restaurants, bars and even churches were closed for months, weddings, funerals and gatherings were banned and suddenly, handshakes, kisses and hugs became too dangerous. Then the 7pm curfew…that was tough!

Some view corona as a foreign concept, and thus ignore the containment measures. Others believe someone was hiding vaccines under their beds and are now eager to cash in on them. Others are of the opinion that it is a disease of the rich, not simpletons like them, while others are sure the disease is a manifestation of God's displeasure with our waywardness. Whatever your belief, the good, bad and ugly sides of the pandemic have now clearly emerged.

The good
We’ve learnt new words such as lockdown, shutdown, social distancing, quarantine, anti vaxxers and contact tracing. We are now aware that simple hand washing can prolong one’s life. Still on learning, corona has helped us master the Greek alphabet. We started with alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and now we've reached omicron! We all hope it will all stop here, with Omicron.

The bad
Businesses collapsed leaving many poor, hungry, desperate and depressed. Many jobs were lost, leading to family strife that escalated to more cases of domestic violence and divorce. Police turned the pandemic into a cash cow. They clobbered adults to death as they shamelessly collected bribes. They are not alone. Hospitals cashed in on Covid-19 victims by charging them an arm and a leg for basic services. Today, there are hospital owners who are quietly cursing the decreasing positivity rate.

Senior government officials, politicians and their cronies took advantage of the confusion to fatten their bank accounts using ill-gotten wealth. They disregarded the preventive ban on public gatherings and did what they do best – assemble huge crowds to abuse real and imagined enemies, lie to all and sundry, make empty promises and create needless spectacles.

The ugly
Some men who had never arrived home while sober found themselves with nowhere to go at night, thanks to the curfew. All they could do in the unfamiliar company of their wives and children was to stare vacantly at the ceiling, wondering why corona decided visit in their lifetime. Their minds and souls were wandering in bars, soccer fields and brothels. What a nightmare!

Due to job losses, boredom, restrictions, desperation and depression, the tension in families escalated. Normal disagreements turned into spouse battering, suicides and murders. Simply put, Covid-19 brought out the worst in most of us. Today the number of teen pregnancies, killings, gender based violence and suicides have broken all existing records. Even the relaxing of the Covid-19 restrictions doesn't seem to have reversed this dangerous trend. The vices we acquired and nurtured over the last two years have refused to leave us. Could the virus have poisoned our minds and souls too?

By Amos M. Ruturi

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