By last week, the US had the highest number of cases in the world, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University. With over 560,000 confirmed cases as of last week, it has nearly seven times the official number recorded in China.

All countries in the world are affected by this virus. There is no place to hide and nowhere safe to go. Every aspect of life is affected.

Unlike a couple of weeks ago when some small shops were open, everywhere close to where I live in Bothell, Washington State, is now mostly deserted.

The experts are talking about reopening the economy soon, but I wonder how this will happen as people are still getting infected with the virus.

Everyone is susceptible and I understand this has caused a big problem and disconnect in the commodities supply chain. Food that used to go to restaurants and schools is now going to waste.

The effects of the coronavirus continue to hit the US hard. This is unlike anything we have seen before. About 10 per cent of the country’s employment force are now unemployed. Food banks are not able to meet massive demands which means there are many people now who can’t access the food they need.

I know that every country has issues of poverty but what is happening here in the US is beyond what we thought possible.

My State of Washington has a big workforce in big corporations such as Boeing and Starbucks. The effect of the coronavirus on these corporations is affecting everything and everyone around us. These corporations have been driving the economy here.

However, some of them are already talking of major staff layoffs. These layoffs would affect many families and could cause a major shift in the State’s economy.

Some of my family members in my homeland Kenya are currently in the rural areas after their businesses were temporarily closed down due to the effects of the virus.

Big responsibility

As more of our family members and communities begin to feel the effects of the virus, we in the diaspora who still have jobs have a big responsibility of supporting ourselves here and our families and communities back home.

Possibly there could be a multi-sectoral fund that we in the diaspora could contribute to for supporting the most vulnerable communities. May be for every amount we send home, a small fraction could go towards the funding pool.
My state of Washington was the first to report high coronavirus infections in the US. We are now seeing a reduction in new infections in this State.

Social distancing is working. Everyone is trying to follow the guidelines set out by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of washing hands with soap and running water frequently, not touching the face with unwashed hands and keeping a distance of two metres between you and the next person. We are also always wearing a face mask, which can be a face cloth covering, when outside.

Talks of reopening the economy and people going back to work soon have me wondering if we will still observe the CDC guidelines.

I work from home and I’m ready to go back to the office, but how can this happen without resulting in an increase in virus infections or re-infections.

Although I am ready to go back to work, I am still scared of getting infected with Covid-19. I am not ready to stop being in isolation and do not want to socialise as long as the virus is still out there.

I’m scared of this virus because anyone can be asymptomatic. I take seriously what Benjamin Franklin said that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”