How to Manage Your Rural Market Safely during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Noel Iminza Lutomia

COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020 by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Since then, the pandemic has altered people’s lives in multiple ways. In Kenya, some urban based families moved to the villages to be safe from COVID-19 and for economic reasons. Communities in rural areas faced a decrease of casual labour due to lockdowns and desisting to work in different homes to avoid coronavirus carrier stigma. Additionally, families with children faced difficulties such as lack of nutritious meals, discontinued education for more than one year, and the inability to access online education. The pandemic revealed the challenge faced by rural communities to access information, essential products, access the internet, and the high poverty levels.

The rural economy has been weakened by the pandemic at multiple levels. Most rural communities have open air markets with market days once or twice a week. These form an integral part of the community’s culture, economic base, and lifestyle. Additionally, it is during these market days that government officers pass on important information to the community and most families purchase their weekly food supply and other essential goods. During shutdowns most open-air markets were closed; with only traders who sell essential products and services allowed to operate. The marketplace still poses a challenge to stopping the spread of the virus since it is hard to control crowding and enforce the COVID-19 protocol set by WHO and the local Ministry of Health.

Thankfully, Feed the Future Scientific Animations Without Borders Responsive Adaptive Participatory Information Dissemination Program (SAWBO-RAPID) a project ofScientific Animation Without Borders (SAWBO) has produced animations identifying critical food security topics and delivering knowledge to mitigate COVID-19’s secondary economic impacts, including disruption to trade, supply chains and markets. The project is based at Michigan State University and Purdue University in the U.S., funded by USAID under the Feed the Future initiative, and supported by the USAID Kenya Mission. SAWBO has been creating animations and delivering knowledge globally for over a decade. The SAWBO library contains over 1,000 animations on 100+ different topics in over 220 language variants reaching over 50 million known viewers. Visit the SAWBO website for more information.

In this blog, I focus on rural market managers, also known as market masters, and urge them to watch the video on preventing the spread of the virus for market managers to mitigate COVID-19 at the market. This video,  COVID-19: How to Manage Your Market Safely during the Coronavirus Pandemic  is targeted to those who are market leaders or manage a local market.

As a market leader, you have an important role during the Coronavirus pandemic. This animation outlines safe practices to limit Coronavirus exposure in your market. By following the actions in this video, you can help your market stay open and keep you and your community safe during this pandemic.

 COVID-19: How to Manage Your Market Safely during the Coronavirus Pandemic  urges market managers to follow a number of recommendations to keep the market safe.

Here, I highlight some of them:

1.  Encourage vendors and customers to wear clean masks properly at the market. 
2. Set up a water station where people can wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; if not, use hand sanitizer for at least 20 seconds as shown in this video.
3. Keep a safe distance of two meters apart or as per the regulations by the Ministry of Health.
4. Encourage vendors to clean and sanitize surfaces throughout the day.
5. Provide separate designated entrance and exit areas.

Washing hands at the market (Photo courtesy of SAWBO; Photographer Gerald Andrew Akolo)

Other videos that are important to watch in order mitigate market related coronavirus spreading at the market are:

COVID-19: How to Sell Safely in the Marketplace during the Coronavirus Pandemic

This animation outlines safe practices to follow when shopping in a marketplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. By following the actions in this video, you can help the market stay open and keep you and your community safe during this pandemic.

COVID-19: How to Shop Safely in the Marketplace during the Coronavirus Pandemic

This animation outlines safe practices to follow when shopping in a marketplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. By following the actions in this video, you can help the market stay open and keep you and your community safe during this pandemic.

For more video translations into local languages please click the links below:

Marketplace – Vendor

English                        https://sawbo.page.link/rfzT

Swahili                         https://sawbo.page.link/CUcE

Marketplace – Shopper

Chonyi                         https://sawbo.page.link/vm3w

English                        https://sawbo.page.link/9Hom

Giryama                      https://sawbo.page.link/LJiu

Kamba                        https://sawbo.page.link/4Yin

Mijikenda-Jibana    https://sawbo.page.link/qW7e

Nandi                           https://sawbo.page.link/cnb2

Pokot                           https://sawbo.page.link/KayM

Swahili                         https://sawbo.page.link/kbzu

Marketplace – Leader

Swahili                         https://sawbo.page.link/YStT

Giryama                      https://sawbo.page.link/7gSo 

Kamba                         https://sawbo.page.link/cRj8

Nandi                       https://sawbo.page.link/cnb2

Pokot                           https://sawbo.page.link/3E9G

English                        https://sawbo.page.link/vutJ

Disclaimers:

Note: The information and content in the video (content) should not substitute for professional or medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any kind. Michigan State University, Purdue University, and SAWBO disclaims responsibility or liability for any loss or injury that may be incurred as a result of the use of any content included in the video. Viewers and users of the video should always consult a physician or other professional for diagnosis, treatment and/or advice. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of the content of this video.

SAWBO RAPID is funded through a grant from Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. This blog article was made possible through support provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development under the terms of agreement no. 7200AA20LA00002. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International development or the U.S. government.