This archive report was first published on 6 July 2020.
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced plans to open up the economy once health facilities in counties are prepared to handle an influx of Covid-19 cases.
According to the President, each county should have a minimum of 300 isolation beds to meet the National Government's guideline. While some counties have managed to attain this quota, others are struggling to meet the requirement.
As governors work to realise the National Government's guideline, there is a growing need for public goodwill to support the isolation facilities. The beds should be reserved for serious coronavirus cases, where expert assistance will be needed.
Those with mild symptoms will be encouraged to isolate at home until it is absolutely necessary to be hospitalised. This means that there will be a huge reliance on the care that people will receive at home after contracting the virus.
With cases rising to an average of more than 150 a day, there has been an aggressive push toward home-based care. This means that more and more people will not be treated in hospitals but at home.
It will be essential to know the standardised procedures for home-based care, including the kind of items needed and how to access them. There should also be hotlines for caregivers to contact nurses or doctors.
In home-based care, procedures will mostly be administered by women. This means they should be prepared to handle the load, especially mentally.
President Kenyatta imposed a curfew to check the spread of the virus, which led to many households letting go of domestic workers. This is because most people lost their jobs or shut down businesses, reducing expenses including pay for workers.
Statistics also demonstrate that during this period, women are more likely to lose their jobs compared to men. So when it comes to taking care of patients at the home, chances are the person shouldering the responsibility will be a woman.
While the debate rages on when schools and colleges will be opened, counties are mulling to use these facilities as isolation centres. However, when the educational institutions reopen, it means counties will have to reduce the number of those in quarantine if most centres will be based in schools and colleges.
But if there is a spike in infections, where will people go to? Many will be treated at home.
