Heed advice to stay safe from scary coronavirus

What you need to know:

  • Recently, the Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed urged our sportsmen and women coming from various events abroad to quarantine themselves and this, I think, should be followed to the letter.

There is no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic that has afflicted most parts of the world has greatly interfered with the sports programmes worldwide.

I must reiterate that the safety and health of every individual comes first in this period of uncertainty. It is, therefore, prudent that the directions given by the government and other relevant bodies to keep us safe should be supported.

Recently, the Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed urged our sportsmen and women coming from various events abroad to quarantine themselves and this, I think, should be followed to the letter.

It’s important that the athletes who took part in recent events including Tokyo Marathon and World Rugby Sevens Series in Vancouver and Los Angeles present themselves for check up to keep the rest of Kenyans safe. After all the only way we can fight the menace is by being honest.

Of course athletes will feel bogged done by the lockdown all around the world as opportunities to potentially earn money have dwindled immensely.

These are the unexpected circumstances that we must live with as human beings. At this point in time, it will be foolhardy for athletes to continue moping at the missed opportunities for financial gain. Instead, this is the period when in safe situations, they should heighten individual training to ensure they are in remarkable shape when the coronavirus scourge will have been dealt with.

The International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government remain confident that they will host the Tokyo 2020 Olympics safely and all participants should be alive to that eventuality.

Back home, the closure of training camps for our youths was a timely decision. Everyone should try to help the government to minimise risks of contracting the virus by the masses.

The camps were pivotal in preparing the youthful athletes for the World Athletics U-20 Championships in July. We are optimistic that time is still on our side and the experts will eventually find a solution to the threat that has affected how we live and interact.

Use of technology to plan the events the country will hold—the Continental Tour and the World U-20—will come in handy for the local organising committees.

With face-to-face interactions limited, video conferencing will be apt to ensure preparations remain on course just in case the situation improves.