Gerald Andrew Akolo
The ongoing pandemic of Coronavirus disease or COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was first identified in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province in the people’s republic of China. On the 30th of January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and a global Pandemic on the 11th March 2020. The National Institutes of Health describes it as a successor of SARS-CoV-1, the virus that caused the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak. Similar to other countries, Kenya locked down borders and practiced curfew and business shutdowns. Specifically, to mitigate the spread within the country, the government implemented several non-pharmacological interventions: school closures, mandatory quarantines, countrywide night curfew, closure of clubs, restaurants and non-essential businesses, suspension of international flights, partial lockdowns in hotspots, and the closure of international borders. Public service announcements emphasized policies such as social distancing by working from home, a ban on public gatherings and fewer passengers in public vehicles. Market places were deemed to be high traffic areas and likely to increase the spread of COVID-19.
To increase learning and credible information Feed the Future Scientific Animations Without Borders Responsive Adaptive Participatory Information Dissemination Program (SAWBO RAPID) a project ofScientific Animation Without Borders (SAWBO) has produced animations identifying critical food security topics and delivering knowledge to mitigate COVID-19’s secondary economic impacts, including disruption to trade, supply chains and markets. The project is based at Michigan State University and Purdue University in the U.S. and funded by USAID under the Feed the Future initiative and is supported by the USAID Kenya Mission. SAWBO has been creating animations and delivering knowledge globally for over a decade. The SAWBO library contains over 1,000 animations on 100+ different topics in over 220 language variants reaching over 50 million known viewers. Visit the SAWBO website for more information.
COVID-19 can spread from an infected person’s mouth and or nose through coughing, speaking, singing or breath. There are three types of COVID-19 carriers:
- Asymptomatic – These are people who are infected but never show symptoms.
- Pre-symptomatic – These are people who are infected and not yet developed symptoms but go on to develop the symptoms later.
- Symptomatic – These are infected people who already show the symptoms.
These three types of carriers are likely to participate in market-oriented activities such as shopping and unknowingly spread COVID-19. In this blog, I would like to focus on COVID-19: How to Shop Safely in the Marketplace during the Coronavirus Pandemic (https://sawbo.page.link/RrpA)
This animation outlines safe practices to follow when shopping in a marketplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. By following the actions in this video, you can help the market stay open and keep you and your community safe during this pandemic.
The 3 ways to reduce the infection by COVID-19 while shopping at the market include:
Properly wear a clean, snugly fitting face mask.
A snapshot from How to Shop safely in the Marketplace during the Coronavirus Pandemic SAWBO video animation
A snapshot from How to Shop safely in the Marketplace during the Coronavirus Pandemic SAWBO video animation
Fabric masks should be made of three layers of fabric . The first inner layer should preferably be made from absorbent material to absorb all the droplets from your mouth and nose to reduce COVID-19 virus from spreading in the air. The middle layer of non-woven non-absorbent material, such as polypropylene. Lastly, the outer layer of non-absorbent material, such as polyester or polyester blend, reduces the chances of inhaling the covid-19 virus. Also watch the video on WHO’s recommended fabric mask materials and composition for more information.
Frequently wash hands with clean soapy water or sanitize with hand sanitizer.
Wash hands for 20 seconds with clean soapy water every time you visit a new vendor’s stand or sanitize your hands rubbing for 20 seconds- the sanitizer should contain 60% ethanol or 70% isopropyl alcohol; methanol should never be used in a hand sanitizer.
Observe social distance
While shopping or walking around the market space, always watch the two-meter rules of social distancing. This helps reduce exposure from droplets from exposed people.
Shoppers can help keep the market safer by properly wearing their masks, washing their hands with clean water and soap and keeping the social distance of two meters. In addition to the three things, we all can do to slow down the spread of coronavirus in our community this video also outlines the dos and don’ts to keep in mind while shopping at the market.
In conclusion, these two videos provide information for sellers and market managers to mitigate COVID-19 at the market – How to Sell Safely in the Marketplace during the Coronavirus Pandemic and How to Manage Your Market Safely during the Coronavirus Pandemic
| Videos | Links |
| Marketplace – Vendor | |
| English | https://sawbo.page.link/6vjS |
| Swahili | https://sawbo.page.link/g4yk |
| Marketplace – Shopper | |
| Chonyi | https://sawbo.page.link/sDTt |
| English | https://sawbo.page.link/RrpA |
| Giryama | https://sawbo.page.link/eN9E |
| Kamba | https://sawbo.page.link/G35E |
| Mijikenda-Jibana | https://sawbo.page.link/Cwjh |
| Nandi | https://sawbo.page.link/9Ueq |
| Pokot | https://sawbo.page.link/LLFe |
| Swahili | https://sawbo.page.link/NNSE |
| Marketplace – Leader | |
| English | https://sawbo.page.link/4JVP |
| Giryama | https://sawbo.page.link/qBB8 |
| Kamba | https://sawbo.page.link/maiq |
| Nandi | https://sawbo.page.link/KHnh |
| Pokot | https://sawbo.page.link/Y2AJ |
| Swahili | https://sawbo.page.link/ag64 |
Disclaimers:
SAWBO RAPID is funded through a grant from Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. This blog article was made possible through support provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development under the terms of agreement no. 7200AA20LA00002. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International development or the U.S. government.
Note: The information and content in the video (content) should not substitute for professional or medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any kind. Michigan State University, Purdue University, and SAWBO disclaims responsibility or liability for any loss or injury that may be incurred as a result of the use of any content included in the video. Viewers and users of the video should always consult a physician or other professional for diagnosis, treatment and/or advice. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of the content of this video.
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