Coronavirus has created panic especially among the elderly who are most vulnerable to the respiratory disease.
When the first positive case was announced by Health CS Mutahi Kagwe on March 13, panicked shoppers left supermarket shelves empty for fear of total lockdown.
While many countries have imposed a lockdown to aid the fight against the spread of Covid-19, Margaret Mwongela recounted to the Star how years ago - faced with challenges including lack of safe water, food and other basic needs - she was forced to cook, dry and store food for days.
Mwongela told the Star that since they could not afford to buy meat, when they slaughtered the only available goat or chicken, they cooked all of it to avoid more expenses of firewood and cooking supplies.
“We have heard of a lockdown. I am currently on compulsory leave until mid-April but what worries me more is to those who cannot afford a meal without working every day. If a curfew is a disaster because many were earning during the evening hours, what about total restriction?” she asked.
Mwongela, who worked at a Timau-based flower farm, said she used to cook githeri to last her five days.
“We had nothing like a balanced diet and God sustained our family. I was the sole breadwinner. It was tough but God has been changing the situation each coming day,” she said.
She said if a lockdown is effected, the poor and elderly will suffer most.
Edited by R.Wamochie
