Written by: Elkins Jackson Achwanya
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Reading this blog will help you to discover ways on how to Become Economically Secure by keeping your market a reliable source of food & products during a pandemic. So, before we start, what is coronavirus?
According to www.who.int Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can be defined as an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 Virus). It was declared a global pandemic on March 11th 2020 after it was first identified amid an outbreak of respiratory illness cases in Wuhan City in China and initially reported to the World Health Organization on December 31st, 2019.
The disease is dangerous and has caused approximately over 4.5 million deaths worldwide since it was first reported.
Reading this blog will also let you discover the best ways to cope at the marketplace during this pandemic in as far as selling safely, shopping safely and managing your market safely is concerned in a bid to reduce the spread of the virus. SAWBO Scientific Animation Without Borders (SAWBO) and Feed the Future Scientific Animations Without Borders Responsive Adaptive Participatory Information Dissemination Program (SAWBO RAPID) project have 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 200 language variants reaching over 45 million known viewers. Visit the SAWBO website for more information.
In this blog, we will also specifically look at a video on – How to sell safely in the marketplace during the coronavirus pandemic
2.0 How to sell safely in the marketplace during the coronavirus pandemic
The outbreak of COVID-19 changed many parts of community life including school attendance and access to religious services. Your market may even have closed. Having access to food and products at your local market is important for your family. If safe practices are not observed, the marketplace could increase coronavirus spread which could cause it to close. Following the actions in this video can help you stay safe from coronavirus while shopping which will also help the market open.
The coronavirus can spread whenever an infected person breathes, coughs, talks or sneezes by releasing germs in the air that cannot be seen.
People can have COVID-19, feel fine and do not know they are sick. They can unknowingly spread the disease. That is why it is important to follow local government guidelines designed to stop the spread of the disease.
There are three things that we can all do to slow the spread of the disease in our community
- Properly wearing a clean mask that slightly covers your mouth and nose helps reduce germs from being released into the air. Wearing a mask can also reduce your chances of inhaling these germs and help everyone in your community stay healthy.
- Washing your hands often for at least 20 seconds with soap and water will eliminate germs. If available, be sure to use a paper towel to turn off the water or you may expose your clean hands to germs again. If you cannot wash your hands regularly, use hand sanitizer for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your mouth, nose or eyes as much as possible.
- Distant yourself from others not part of your household by 2 meters, or by the distance recommended by your local authorities. This distance can reduce exposure to coronavirus droplets in the air from infected people.
b) Additional Information
In addition to these three actions, let’s talk about simple things you can do as a shopper to help keep your market a safe place to shop during the pandemic.
- Before leaving home, plan what you want to buy so you can shop quickly. Make a list, choose a time to shop at the marketplace when its less busy. If your children could safely be taken care of elsewhere, do not bring them to the market.
- If you feel sick and have a fever. Do not go to the market.
- If a household member has COVID-19, or feels sick or feverish, stay at home you could unknowingly be infected too. Do not go to the market and risk spreading illnesses especially COVID-19 to others. Ask a friend or neighbor to purchase the market items you want.
- When travelling to the market, wear a clean mask and do not touch your face. If walking with others, ensure you all wear masks and keep two meters apart or by the distance recommended by your local authorities.
- Never remove your mask even to be heard more easily. Coronavirus spreads more easily when people are unmasked.
- Do not great anyone with a hag or handshake during the pandemic. Great others from 2 meters away or by the distance recommended by your local authorities.
- When shopping at the market, avoid unnecessary touching of products. Shop by looking and pointing, not touching. Do not use utensils shared by others. Only the vendor should touch products and utensils. This can seem hard, but it is the safest market practice.
- Do not eat anything or accept free samples at the market. All prepared foods should be packaged in go containers to be eaten at home. If available, use hand sanitizer or hand washing stations between each vendor.
- Purchase as many products as you can safely store at home so that you can limit trips to the market.
- When arriving home, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water.
In a nutshell, remember
- To stay safe in the marketplace.
- Properly wear a clean mask at all times.
- Wash your hands with soap and water often. If soap and water are not available, use sanitizer.
- Keep a physical distance of two meters between yourself and others or by the distance recommended by your authorities.
- Do not remove your mask while speaking.
- Do not bring your children to the market.
- Stay home if anyone in your household is sick or feverish.
The more of these actions more of us follow, the less likely coronavirus will spread in your marketplace and the more we can keep each other safe in the community.
Other market related videos that I would like to urge you to watch are:
COVID-19: How to Shop Safely in the Marketplace during the Coronavirus Pandemic
How to Manage Your Market Safely during the Coronavirus Pandemic
3.0 CONCLUSION
It is without a doubt that even in after slowing down the spread COVID- 19, the effects of the disease are here to stay –that include curfew by the government that has greatly affected lifestyle and business.
Following the above-mentioned actions will greatly help us become economically secure during this pandemic and to keep marketplaces a reliable source of food & products.
For more video translations into local languages, kindly click the links below.
Marketplace – Vendor
English https://sawbo.page.link/3CD3
Swahili https://sawbo.page.link/Qv3p
Marketplace – Shopper
Chonyi https://sawbo.page.link/tfSj
English https://sawbo.page.link/zwnf
Giryama https://sawbo.page.link/VzDi
Kamba https://sawbo.page.link/tVpC
Mijikenda-Jibana https://sawbo.page.link/xhZ2
Nandi https://sawbo.page.link/KkTW
Pokot https://sawbo.page.link/jNEC
Swahili https://sawbo.page.link/wVe9
Marketplace – Leader
English https://sawbo.page.link/fGj3
Giryama https://sawbo.page.link/NbdB
Kamba https://sawbo.page.link/FQng
Nandi https://sawbo.page.link/P2go
Pokot https://sawbo.page.link/vCCa
Swahili https://sawbo.page.link/5QYK
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.
Elee Global 