Kenya’s move to ease Covid 19 restrictions will be put into a sharp focus by its regional neighbours due to the strategic role the country plays as gateway to the East and Central Africa. A role that has significantly been affected by a conspiracy of factors that have been brought about by Covid 19 pandemic, ravaging the region’s entire supply chain.
The measures the country puts in place to contain the spread of the virus, now on unprecedented rise, with the week between June 28 and July 4, cases jumping exponentially to an average of 261 per day, will have far reaching effects on our neighbouring countries.
The government has attributed this new rise to bad public behavior of not observing simple protocols such as keeping social distance, effective use of face masks and general good hygiene.
Mombasa port serves transit markets of Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, with Uganda leading with 30 percent of total volume of the port’s cargo going to its economy.
President Kenyatta has lifted the cessation of movement order into and out of the Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Mombasa County and Mandera County, which was in force. However the nationwide curfew that is currently in force between the hours of 9pm and 4am daily was extended by a further 30 days.
Of critical position for the regional neighbours is the announcement of resumption of international air travel into and out of the territory of the Republic of Kenya which will resume effective 1st August, 2020; in strict conformity with all protocols from the Ministry of Health, local and international civil aviation authorities, and any additional requirements applicable at the ports of departure, arrival or transit.
Although there has been a huge challenge of the cross border trade, it will be crucial on how the regional heads of state harmonize their operations as the region seeks to live with the new norm.
Kenya has so far recorded the highest number of Covid 19 cases in the region, which stands at 8067 according to the latest figures. The country has managed to test 3559 people per 1 million population, according to Worldometer, which provides global statistics.
Each of Kenya’s neighbours have approached the Covid 19 crisis differently thus giving mixed results on the level of success.
Rwanda has recorded significant gains than its neighbours. Last week, the European Union Council recommended the lifting of the travel restriction alongside 14 other countries. Germany’s Robert Koch Institute also announced that Rwanda has graduated to a Covid 19 free risk area.
Factors that were considered by the EU to make this concession were an infection rate that was equal or less than the European’s Union two weeks’ average, a stable or downward drop in infection and the country’s overall handling of the pandemic. Health care infrastructure, testing capacity and reliability of the Covid 19 data, were also considered.
Rwanda’s system of interventions has enabled the country to open tourism and hotels to host conferences. Rwanda cases stood at 1113 with the latest latest infections standing at 8. The country has carried the biggest test per 1 million population, which stood at 12,613 according to the current figures.
Although Uganda had initially carried out effective measures such as lock down when it reported its first cases, last month, the country announced that it had entered phase 3 of the pandemic, with rising cases throughout the month of June.
Experts, however, said that the country had a chance to keep infections low, if the public observes the World Health Organization’s (WHO) protocols of keeping social distance, use of face masks and regularly sanitizing hands or washing them with soap.
The government’s communication consultant, Precision Media, plans to brand 2,500 cars, 2000 Matatus and 500 buses, to improve community message, which is slow and considered a weak link.
In Uganda, the number of reported cases stood at 953, with 14 new infections and 4601 tests per 1 million population.
Burundi’s new President Evariste Ndayishimiye has already declared coronavirus the country’s “biggest enemy”, in a major about-turn for a nation which had largely ignored the dangers of the virus.
Officially the country had reported only 170 cases and one death in two months. Its tests per 1 million population stood at 63.
“I declare the Covid-19 pandemic the biggest enemy of Burundians, because it is clear it is becoming their biggest concern,” he said. “We firmly commit ourselves to fight this pandemic.”
The new president called for “strict respect for preventative measures which the health ministry will from now on display across the country”.
He reminded citizens that coronavirus tests were free, as was treatment, warning those who did not get tested when they had symptoms.
Burundi only has a single testing centre, with fewer than 10 technicians capable of carrying out tests for the virus. However, the new president promised testing centres would be installed and testing campaigns launched across the country.
About a month ago, Tanzania’s President John Magufuli declared the country “coronavirus-free” attributing this to prayers by citizens.
“The corona disease has been eliminated thanks to God,” Mr Magufuli told worshippers in a church in the capital, Dodoma.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern over the government’s strategy on Covid-19. The country has stopped publishing data on the number of coronavirus cases in the country.
On 29 April, the last day official data was released, there were 509 cases, with 21 deaths in Tanzania. However, Mr Magufuli said last week that only four patients were receiving treatment in the largest city, Dar es Salaam.