Covid-19: How It Is Like To Live In Government’s Quarantine Centers

One of the many measures the government put in place to flatten the curve and prevent the spread of the coronavirus is a 14 day period where people who flew back into the country are supposed to self isolate, the life of solitude can be challenging.

Kenyans who flew back from abroad are now raising concern over what they term as being forcibly quarantined under “harsh conditions”. They say the environment is not conducive and are at fear that self-isolation is where they get sick. Cold showers, dirty toilets and having to share rooms is the norm.

“We are using a communal bathroom, which is very dangerous. People are spitting in the shared sinks and movement is not restricted. I want to be taken to a better facility,” says a distressed quarantined Kenyan. “It’s like everyone who could not afford other hotel rates was brought here. This is a student hostel … all the washrooms are shared.”

The facilities provided by the government are riddled with health hazardous risks.

“While I appreciate the effort that the government is putting into feeding us and providing us with bedding (which we are paying for), our experiences are damaged by the poor hygiene standards at KMTC. The bedbugs are also a menace,” another quarantined Kenyan X at KMTC says.

These Kenyans say their self-isolation is not monitored, they are allowed to mingle and hang around each other, “Why the government did not want us to mingle with our families is because of the risk of infection. But why don’t they ensure that those in the quarantine facilities do not mingle? It is advisable that we don’t even leave our rooms,” Kenyan X continues,  “Here it is very easy for one to escape. If it were not for the heavy bags, none of us would be here.”

While the measures are key to making sure the spread of the killer disease is mitigated, there are other health risks the government needs to take into consideration while choosing the facilities to send these Kenyans.