Covid-19 is here; time to up fight against it

The confirmation of the first coronavirus case in Kenya, though a sad development, presents an opportunity to reassess and strengthen the measures being put in place to fight the epidemic.

However, we commend the health authorities for the professional manner in which this one has been handled. According to Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, the patient is a 27-year-old Kenyan who had travelled from the United States via London to Nairobi. There is no need to panic as the patient is stable, but will in remain in isolation until she is confirmed negative.

Health CS Kagwe has, as a result of the confirmation of the first case, banned all public meetings.

The question has been when, not if, the deadly virus would reach our shores. From its epicentre in China's Wuhan City, the virus has spread fast and become a global pandemic. Besides China, deaths have been reported in Italy and Iran, among other countries, disrupting lives and the economy across the world.

The message that must go out to all Kenyans now is to strictly adhere to precautionary measures. In the interest of the safety, the government has suspended all non-essential travel out of the country, especially to the affected destinations. Also commendable is the global campaign to stop the novel Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are already 118,000 cases and more than 4,000 deaths. A welcome assurance, however, is that our entire country is now covered, as besides the facilities in Nairobi, every Level 4 and 5 hospital will have an isolation ward.

County governments have also been urged to mount regular public sensitisation campaigns on the coronavirus disease.

What is really important, however, is that Kenyans must remain calm and go about their normal business as long as they abide by the measures that have been put in place.

There is still some work to do to ensure that people are safe and that the unscrupulous ones do not take advantage of the disaster to enrich themselves by inflating the prices of drugs.

Also included in the measures is an elaborate effort to bring in the public transport sector, which carries the bulk of commuters and other travellers and could be the weakest link in the campaign.

Drivers and conductors are being trained and sensitised on how to help fight the epidemic by providing sanitisers to their passengers. These will also be made available in public places such as shopping malls. It will take the collective efforts of all to fight the coronavirus and enable the restoration of normality.