Covid-19: 14 Days of Self-Quarantine
I am not writing this experience so that you can pity or sympathise with me. A little empathy and action can/could suffice.
Contextual Plot
“Change what you can, manage what you can’t.”― Raymond McCauley. In January 2020, little was known of the novel coronavirus in many parts of the world apart from Wuhan in the Hubei Province of China. As of the day, I am writing this article, the world is ‘aware’ of how ruthless and vicious the Covid-19 virus is/will be in the coming weeks. That aside, people are more scared than they have been, especially ‘Kenyan leaders’, aka Mr/Miss BBI, whose political bandwidth was out of proportion before the first case was reported about a fortnight ago in Kenya. Did the world have the chance to do something to change our health systems? Yes!. Did they do something? Absolutely nothing!
The outburst of Coronavirus got me reading, watching ted talks and long periods of self-introspection. One striking ted talk was by Bill Gates in 2015. In the talk dubbed “Not missiles, but microbes” he said, “If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades, it’s likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war,”. In retrospect, 5 years later, we are living with that reality. This is amidst a “World War 3” that was speculated in January 2020. The same person ‘driving’ the WW3 ignored calls to take precaution before the Virus hit the United States of America, not to mention Trump.
Did World/African/Kenyan leaders have the chance to invest in and change our health systems; promulgate research centres/labs; set up emergency response kitty for their respective countries? Yes, they did. Unfortunately, especially in Kenya day-in-day-out, it is scandal after scandal. Also, most of these leaders are paid hefty salaries and allowances that are not justifiable. Now that they have not done any change to our health systems, can they manage the situation? Probably No!
Already Kenya has reported 81 positive cases, 1 death and 3 recoveries. Some say a lockdown is imminent, but at what cost? At the cost of the electorate. Majority of Kenyans are on a hand-mouth salary, that means a lockdown would derail their way to earn a standard living. No income hence hunger, water shortages, electric blackouts, rent areas etc, subsequently increased crime?
Here are a few facts:
Out of the 47 counties in Kenya, only 24 have ICU equipment.
The Kenyan billionaires are in their expensive ‘dingy’ residences, No support, ‘emotional’ or financial
Majority of the cases in Kenya were imported, would have Kenya done better in managing and mitigating the virus? Yes! How- Compulsory quarantine for all travellers, Ban international flights (Cushion the finances of Kenya airways by bailing them out to remain afloat, Air Emirates have had that).
That was a rant and my opinion on this Pandemic. Here is my experience, “14 Days of Self-Quarantine”
“14 Days of Self-Quarantine”
What Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma has done is a true epitome that pandemics know no borders and neither should compassion.
Day 0
I was just about my normal business in school, then an email pops up at 12pm. “Kenyan scholars you should pack and you’ll leave campus at 4 pm to catch a flight by Kenya Airways at 8 pm”, the email read in part. Packing to leave a foreign country, Ghana in this case amidst panic was no mean feat.
Well, I pack and I am armed with my hand sanitizer and a face mask. I am literally shaking, the airport is packed to the brim. No social distancing! I have never been scared for my life as much as I was at this time at the Kotoka International Airport. I said a little prayer, Let God and my face mask take the wheel. The flight was delayed and so was the hours of the flight to Nairobi, Kenya that looked like eternity. I wasn’t asleep the majority of this trip. It was prudent to remain calm, however, when one of the passengers at the back seats of the plane coughed a number of times, panic set in. I was numb through the remainder of the flight!
Day 1–14 (This a combination since life has been a roller coaster since then)
I arrived at JKIA at 6:3o am on 19th March 2020 and had one more panic attack, when screened my temperature read 36.0 degrees celsius. People who had a higher than 37 degrees celsius were being placed on the side and that was scary. I filled some forms and passed the immigration and was advised to self-quarantine, and so I left.
The decision to fly back home was not my own, as a student on scholarship, mostly, you don’t have a say on the majority of decisions that affect your life. If I had an option, I’d remain in Ghana. Before arriving in Kenya, I received a message from a friend saying, ‘Usituletee Corona’ (Don’t export Corona to us). This comment was insensitive but also got me thinking about how this pandemic has led to heightened racism, stigma, complacency, elitism and capitalism.
Days 1,2,3,…………….14, were a big emotional rollercoaster, periods of loneliness, just in a room all alone. Wake up, Eat, Sleep was just a routine. In hard times, only family will always be there for you and that is what pulled me through. For 14 good days, I didn’t see how the sun looked like, for someone who likes watching sunsets and sunrises it was a hard fact that I had to contend with. Oh, and for the unforeseeable future, I cannot hug my family.
As per the recommendations of the World Health Organization, stay put at home, wash your hands regularly, cough/sneeze to your elbow and observe social distancing. And of outright importance, if you exhibit any of the symptoms, seek medical attention.
Until next time, Tschüss!
