(Eric Biegon is a Nairobi-based Multimedia Journalist)
Kenya recently announced that it had no intention to impose any travel restrictions to Chinese travelers. Many other countries such as Australia and Indonesia have adopted a similar stance.
Addressing the move by a number of countries to issue strict travel measures targeting passengers travelling from China, Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha said such a decision was not necessary citing its economic implications on Kenya.
The International Air Transport Association, a major stakeholder in this regard, also weighed in expressing shock at travel curbs on Chinese travelers. IATA Director General Willie Walsh wondered why countries cannot use available tools to manage COVID-19 without resorting to what he described as “ineffective measures” to cut off international connectivity, damage economies and destroy jobs.
He went on to plead with governments to stop what he described as ‘knee-jerk reactions’ and base their decisions on ‘science facts’ rather than ‘science politics’.
What Kenya, the airlines’ association, and many others opposed to the new measures appreciate is that condemnation of one individual country in the face of a devastating virus pandemicis hard to justify.This is especially given the pain and hardship the country has had to endure to see its people safe.
Today, her people will arguably feel condemned when some members of the international community decide to treat them differently from the rest of the world. Hundreds of health experts across the globe, including from countries that have come up with these curbs, have also found the explanations given insubstantial and have expressed doubt whether they are purely medical in nature.
The countries that resorted to these new measures pointed to an increased number of infections in China, yet a surge in infections has also been recorded in many other countries.The regulationscame into force as soon as China reviewed coronavirus situation and reopened its borders. Authorities had established that the virus in circulation was mild compared to the Delta variant. It meant the zero-covid policy that involved extensive measures to track, test, isolate and treat infected personshad been lifted.
China had for three yearsremained a country with minimal or no movement at all because of the highly-infectious and deadly variant. Some have suggested the actions by Chinese government during this time did not bear fruits,but this is far from the truth. It is easy to point an accusing finger, but the reality is that China dealt with the evolving situation aptly and learned a lot about the virus in the process.
It is not long agothat China used to record less than ten positive cases daily, and most of it, if not all, were imported cases. Again, looking at the numbers, China has had a very low coronavirus death toll, and successfully contained at least 10 outbreaks of the Delta variant.This cannot be regarded as failure. It saved millions of lives.
Right at the beginning, as soon as Chinacontained the unknown virus, it immediately started sharing its valuable experience with the rest of the world. It also shared information about the virus and later made available protective equipment and other materials to fight it. After registering breakthrough in its vaccine development, China immediately begun to airlift the life-saving doses to countries in need.
The reality isthat the country’s leadership made a painful decision to remain in lockdown to safeguard the lives of citizens, especially by ensuring that vulnerable groups did not have their health endangered by the virus. Three years is a long time and this was indeed a sacrifice by everyone involved, both the state and the people.
There is also the question of data shared which has been described as insufficient. But the Covid situation anywhere in the world has been complex. People, for instance, have reacted differently to the virus with others exhibiting symptoms while others do not. With such unpredictable manifestations, numbers can fail anyone.China is also a huge country both in terms of population and size. Even with the best of efforts, it’s hard to get the exact number of people who are infected on daily basis. Even so, Chinese health authorities publish a daily count of new infections, severe cases and fatalities.
I know a number of colleagues in China who have never stepped in their offices since covid regulations in China came into effect. Many others have had their businesses closed as a result. Others were separated from their families. A good number surrendered the good life they had before coronavirus struck. Those who had to travel, had to withstand isolation before and after travel. Yet, whenever I speak with some of them, they appreciate the sacrifice was necessary.
Here in Kenya, the lockdown has been a tough one for businesspeople and students.A visit to one of the markets in Nairobi that is popular with Chinese goods paints the real picture of businesses that almost came to a halt because they couldn’t get goods from China. Many students pursuing courses in China have also had waitlonger to go back and complete their studies.
Chinese travelers had become a good source of foreign exchange earnings before covid to many countries. Without tourists from China for the last three years, these countries have been impacted economically. China is a huge economy, the second-largest globally. It just cannot stay locked out from the rest of the world and decision to reopen should not be used against visitors from China.
If deemed necessary, the new measures should apply to all travelers. The virus can spring from anywhere. Governments should also acknowledge coronavirus is still here with us and measures such as wearing of masks can be made mandatory for all. Vaccines have also proved crucial and immunizations should be encouraged.
Coronavirus is a common threat to the whole of humanity and the severity of this pandemic calls for solidarity to conquer it.
