When in war, some great and worst decisions are made and this could mean death or life to the soldiers, in the war against COVID-19 the decision to shut downtowns such Eastleigh is Kenya’s worst.
The decision to shutdown Eastleigh is not our worst but it is the timing and the manner in which it took place that makes it Kenya’s worst decision in the war against COVID-19.
The Ministry of Health definitely made a rushed decision to shut down the COVID-19 hotspot without any order and this is clear in the events that took place immediately the order was made as the residents were given sufficient time of movement.
Somalis are known for their easy cash flow and especially those in Eastleigh and immediately the decision to cease movement in and out of the area was made and which was actually expected, a migration began.
The migration from Eastleigh to surrounding towns that had not been affected by the shutdown began and this was evidenced by heavy traffic from the area as some literally moved and cleared their houses, a move the Ministry of Health had not foreseen.
The Eastleigh residents moving to neighbouring towns not only watered down the need to have had the shutdown but also made the COVID-19 situation in the country chaotic as the area has the largest number of people who are COVID-19 positive making it difficult for the Ministry to contain the situation.
The Ministry of Health’s announcement to lockdown Eastleigh came without necessary mechanisms to enforce it and this hence gave the residents ample time to move from the neighbourhood.
With 63 COVID-19 cases in Eastleigh, chances are extremely high that those that moved from the area are mostly COVID-19 positive and hence pose a risk of infecting others wherever they will move to and while in the process to move out.
Jogoo road that leads to Eastleigh had heavy traffic with Eastleigh residents outrightly migrating without a care of the fear they posed to those living in the places where they were migrating to.
Areas such as South C, Pangani, Ngara and South B are just some of those that played host to the heavy migration that came from Eastleigh before the 7 pm deadline came to effect.
It now goes with without saying, the idea that everyone around is COVID-19 positive is slowly becoming a reality and it is for every person to save their life.
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