The Implementation of the Stay Home Measure and its Effectiveness in Containing the Spread of 2019-nCoV in East African Countries: Case of Rwanda, and Kenya

Abstract

A novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), is a new public health issue that is threatening the entire world. The first cases were detected in China by the end of 2019 and spread worldwide rapidly. A significant number of hospitalization and deaths have been recorded globally. So far, Public health measures, including staying at home, are the only available efficient control measures that help to stop the spread of the disease. This paper aims to document how the stay home measure was implemented and highlight its effects on the prevention of the spread of the disease in Rwanda and Kenya. The selection of Kenya and Rwanda was based on the fact that authors able to access the daily report from these countries. The authors reviewed the available literature to inform their views. In Rwanda, the stay-home strategy was strictly enforced, and movements were highly restricted, while in Kenya, movements were allowed in some counties with respect to preventive measures in place.  The authors of this paper conclude that the stay home measure is a key measure to the containment of the spread of the outbreak. The paper recommends further studies to document the statistical association between the mode of implementation of the stay home measure and the decrease of new cases of 2019-nCoV.

Rwanda J Med Health Sci 2020;3(3):362-371