Covid-19 is not yet out of our Hooks.
On Monday 14th March 2022, China locked down Shenzhen, one of its biggest cities due to a surge in the cases of coronavirus. For the first time in a lengthy time, China on Sunday 13th recorded a very high number of cases of more than 2000.
This was a one-time high recording since mid-Feb 2020 when the country recorded over 15,000 cases in a single day. By April 2020, China had eased on its lockdowns of major cities in the country up to until late 2021 and early 2022 when the Omicron posed a challenge to them.
In its latest approach of closing down Shenzhen, a tech hub and special economic zone only 1-hour drive away from Hong Kong, China seems to be taking the virus with a lot of seriousness. It is not relenting in any way in the fight against a virus that has raked havoc the world over.
The meaning of this development is to let us know that Coronavirus is not yet behind our backs. The directive by the ministry of health in Kenya of not making use of Masks mandatory in public places did not open us up to a window of carelessness.
The cards now did change to be an aspect of personal responsibility more than ever. It is important to be aware that the virus is still with us and we must thus take the necessary precautions to ensure we are safe at individual levels.
Ensure to have your face mask with you wherever you go and in crowded areas, please wear them on. Frequent washing of hands should be your norm and having your sanitizer with you is of great value. Also, keep social distance where necessary and in overcrowded places.
The effect of the rising cases of the virus in China has caused a return of lockdowns from late 2021 to date. And this is not far-fetched for us. The moment we will be careless and not be keen on personal responsibility to ensure safety from the virus, the increasing infections will thus be reported among ourselves and a rallying call for such measures as lockdowns will increase.
I know none of us likes the idea, let alone the thought of a lockdown. It came to us before and we didn’t like it. Restricted movements also hampered our social lives as a people and we never came to like that. The best thing we can do is not go back there.
Always remember that the easing of the coronavirus containment measures in Kenya wasn’t a communique that now you are at liberty to live a careless life because the virus is over. Nay, it was a health concern that overuse of masks for long periods results in other health conditions and complications and we should relax a bit in their use to avoid developing other crises.
It was only meant to remind us to ensure we use the masks in high-risk areas to protect ourselves and in doing so, we end up protecting our loved ones. In such a time as this, when some people choose to be careless, is the time to ensure you frequently wash your hands with soap and water or sanitize.
Let us be our brother’s keepers. Let us remind our friends and family and loved ones to take care in their daily interactions so that together we can fight and defeat the coronavirus one day at a time.
