How coronavirus has made our normal lives abnormal

When Larkman Mande travelled to his rural home in Kakamega to visit his parents in March, he planned to stay for a few days.

But then the coronavirus broke out and the government imposed movement restrictions in Nairobi, making it impossible for the father of four to travel back home.

What he had assumed would be a short trip has now turned out to be the longest he has been in his rural home in years and the longest he has ever been away from his family – three months.

Mr Mande is just one of millions of people who have been victims of the changes made to daily life as Kenya adjusted to the reality of the coronavirus.

Today marks the 100th day since the first case of the coronavirus was reported in Kenya following the outbreak in China in January. In these 100 days, Kenya has recorded 4,374 positive cases.

For the number of people that have been unable to be with their families due to the movement restrictions, there are millions more who are without jobs and struggling to cater for their families.

No handshakes

The pandemic has upended life in the country, completely shattering tourism and the hospitality industry and turning the economy on its head. Habits such as handshakes and hugging that were a part of the Kenyan conscience now seem like distant memories.

Like all other countries struggling with the pandemic, Kenya is changing the way it interacts with itself and with the world. Flight suspensions and closure of borders have crippled businesses, but the effect of the virus touches on other crucial areas.

The closure of all schools and colleges was one of the first actions the government took as a response to Covid-19. Two days after the first case was recorded, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered all learners sent home and the schools closed. Some schools have taken the pandemic as an opportunity for online learning. Parents, on the other hand, find themselves being home-school tutors for their children.

Alongside their batons and metal detectors, security guards at doorways are now armed with temperature guns and hand sanitisers. The government on March 25 announced a nationwide 7pm to 5am curfew starting March 27. Essential service providers are exempt from the curfew. The time was revised on June 6 to have the curfew run from 9pm to 4am and extended for 30 days. 

In April, President Kenyatta banned movement in and out of four main coronavirus “infected areas”, including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale. The order was later extended to Mandera.

Remote working was a distant possibility for many organisations. However, it has become the new reality and likely to remain so when the pandemic is over. To reduce contact between employees and lower the chances of exposure to coronavirus, a great number of companies have reduced the number of employees working from the office, or closed down their offices altogether. This trend is supported by video communication tools such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meets.  

The devastation in the job market has been profound. The government estimates that the economy will shed more that 500,000 jobs in six months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The number could, however, be higher considering the effect that the virus has had on the informal sector, which employs 83 per cent of Kenyans. Job cuts, unpaid leaves and salary reductions are common in the pandemic- stricken job market. 

The number of patients seeking attention in hospitals has gone down drastically since March 12. The situation is especially dire in private hospitals which are without a key source of revenue due to the halting of non-emergency surgeries. The fear of contracting the virus at the hospitals is keeping patients away, which, coupled with the lockdown measures and movement restrictions, means that patients outside Nairobi cannot access hospitals in the city.

Overloading was part of the culture of Kenyan public service vehicles, but coronavirus effectively put an end to that with the order for vehicles to carry only half their capacity. Now 14-seater matatus carry eight passengers while 33-seater buses are only allowed 16 passengers.

The coronavirus has cast a dark shadow even on death itself. Burials, traditionally an elaborate affair that drew crowds of hundreds, are now hastily convened and done with a handful of people.

Exit the tradition of two people grasping hands in greeting and enter the era of interaction without human touch. It has been an awkward affair without handshakes. In place of it, people have devised their own means of greeting, either touching elbows, bumping their shoes or nodding in acknowledgement.

The courts are some of the busiest public buildings in the country. To reduce the risk of becoming a conduit for the spread of the disease, the Judiciary has automated its operations.

Up until a few weeks ago when the Ministry of Health relaxed restrictions and allowed the opening of hotels and restaurants, they remained shut. A survey by the Monetary Policy Committee released on Thursday indicated that 90 per  cent of employees in the hotel sector in Kenya were laid off in April. 

No party

With entertainment spots closed, performing artistes and deejays have had to stage live performances for their fans online. Instagram, Facebook and YouTube have provided entertainers a platform to continue performing in the abcence of social gatherings.

When the virus came, Kenya was at the height of political campaigns for the Building Bridges Initiative. The panic from the virus has managed to still the political waters and end the nationwide rallies to lobby for the document.