I lost a Ghanaian neighbour and a Kenyan did not wake up from his ventilator

Before Corvid-  19: President Uhuru Kenyatta meets Kenyans in New York. Now, this would be a big NO!

Sitting on my bed and looking through the window, hearing birds chirping, seeing animals scuttle wildly across the streets, it is hard to imagine that New York, the city that never sleeps, is so quiet. You may think you are on a vacation in one of the Caribbean Islands until you switch on your TV and you are met with a very scary picture on the screen representing the now infamous Covid-19 or as many prefer to call it, coronavirus. But how did the richest city/country in the world get here and how are the African immigrants coping with the situation?

The warnings about the virus in January and February of this year was not enough to change the behavior of Americans because of the conflicting information from the government depending on what you trust as a source of information. While the health experts warned of an impending pandemic, politicians were still holding public events and shaking hands with some even claiming that it’s like the annual flu, “It will disappear in April when warm weather starts” This however changed when Senator Paul Ryan and Hollywood actor Idris Elba tested positive to the virus and had to go on quarantine. Then came a reality check: Flights from China to the US were cancelled, and later on from Europe, schools and colleges closed, all non-essential businesses were ordered shutdown, all political campaigns were suspended and Wall Street Bull Run stopped. The mighty America is shut, and Americans are in shock! The historic fights for toilet paper in the stores and supermarkets began in earnest, survival instincts kicked in.