By Edgar Nyandong
“I’m Tired of Coronavirus News 24/7!” screamed one headline from a recent online article. The writer says that when he first heard about Covid-19 in January, he was worried about what that would do to his travel plans for work. He then began consuming a lot of news from print and broadcast, and social media to get updates as the Covid-19 cases kept soaring globally. Since then, the writer states that his interest in Covid-19 news has significantly reduced with the world learning a lot more about the novel coronavirus virus and how to contain it. His worries have now completely resolved.
“I am tired of hearing about Covid-19...I want to listen and read news about the pandemic at my own pace, and not every time I open an app, read emails or log into social media,” states the writer.
Many people are now finding themselves more weighed down by job losses, business closures, school closings, and concerns about their family and friends. According to an article in the East African newspaper, at least one million Kenyans have lost their jobs or have been put on indefinite unpaid leave as the pandemic morphs into a major jobs crisis. Since the first case was first reported in the country, there are Kenyans who have not believed that the virus exists. A number of well-known people who came out to declare their Covid-19 positive status were castigated for being attention-seekers.
Politicians, with their ability to influence public thinking, have not made the situation any easier. Kenyan Members of Parliament who were alleged to have contracted the virus have not come out to speak to the public about their situation, while political gatherings have now begun in earnest. This, and the fact that security agencies are not taking any action against such gatherings, has only served to lend strength to the belief that Covid-19 might not be as serious in the country as is being suggested.
The COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports - part of Google’s global response to the coronavirus pandemic, intended to help people and public health officials understand responses to social distancing guidance - have revealed that more Kenyans are now out in public and social places. Retail and recreation spaces, groceries and pharmacies, public transport terminals, and work places are being frequented more, with reduced movement in residential areas. Daily news reports also show that more people are not heeding to the Ministry of Health guidelines of keeping social distance and wearing masks. A casual walk within different neighbourhoods in Nairobi reveals this truth.
The question of whether there is Covid-19 fatigue remains unanswered, but all indications show that Kenyans are gearing to go back to normal life. As indications show that people are becoming averse to current COVID-19 news and information, the new normal will be different from what we were used to. Schools, workplaces, recreation centres and other public spaces will have to adopt new ways of doing things.
