Impact of COVID-19 on Education, Entertainment, Health, and Politics in Kenya.

The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID -19) is an infectious respiratory disease that causes illnesses ranging from the typical cold to more critical situations, transmitted between animals and human beings. Standard recommendations to prevent the spread includes regular handwashing with water and soap or the use of alcohol-based sanitizer, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, wearing protective masks, and keeping social distancing.

First, reported in Wuhan China, Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID -19) was named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and officially declared a global pandemic in March 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Kenya being among the many countries that have been most affected, various social-economic sectors have since faced the wrath of the pandemic; the first case reported on 12 March 2020. It was an imported case with a history of travel, and the process of contact tracing for isolation, screening, and testing for infection commenced immediately.

The majority of the Kenyan population lacks access to health insurance, and concerns are rising over the lack of government commitment and policy intervention to manage the cost of treatment. Since the cost of treatment is expensive, some of the most vulnerable members of society, such as slum dwellers and the lowest earners, cannot afford it. Also, the country has a shortage of health equipment, and the ones available in most public health facilities are in poor condition.

For many artists making a living through the entertainment sector, the spread of the virus has forced everything into a standstill by causing unemployment. The social-economic interactions have also changed due to the ban on public gatherings, travel restrictions, night-time curfews, and closure of entertainment places that have resulted in to decrease in jobs, thus making artists look for ways of making a living.

The closing of all learning institutions countrywide, as directed by the government, was one of the ways of curbing the spread of COVID-19. Besides, the cabinet secretary Prof. George Magoha made a public announcement in July that the school calendar for the year 2020, considered lost because of the pandemic. The decision means all current students will have to repeat the entire school year and graduate a year later. The national exams due later in the year got canceled, and candidates expected to sit for their exams in the year 2021.

Looming cases on teenage pregnancies occasionally reported, Machakos County leading with over three thousand confirmed cases, with some children offered for early marriages in exchange for financial assistance.

While some in the private institutions are going on with their classes via the internet, their counterparts from the disadvantaged communities do not even have access to electricity, internet connectivity, and digital technology, thus widening the education inequality gap, equity, and quality of education.

President Uhuru Kenyatta recently declared a state of emergency and put the country on lockdown as a way of containing the disease. Cancellation of flights has also brought about an impact as it has interfered with relations between the government of Kenya and Tanzania as flights going to Tanzania were banned. The cancellation of flights has also led to the cancellation and suspension of International conferences and summits between Kenya and other countries.

So far, Kenya has a total of more than 500 deaths, and quite several health workers are affected by the disease. No confirmation has reached the public concerning the reopening of school as only a part of them has reported back Entertainment sector is also slowly coming back to normal as night curfew has recently extended from 10 PM to 4 AM.

References

Binnetah, Elizabeth. "Binnetah Elizabeth – Medium." Medium. N.p., 2020. Web. 1 Nov. 2020.

"Coronavirus: Kenya Introduces Tight Restrictions." BBC News. N.p., 2020. Web. 1 Nov. 2020.

"Impact Of Corona Virus On Education Entertainment Health And Politics In Kenya - Google Search." Google.com. N.p., 2020. Web. 1 Nov. 2020...