Osman Shariff, first COVID patient in Isiolo: "How stigma almost destroyed my business, life"

#OmarSharrif #COVID

Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, 64-year-old Sharif Osman businesses in the transport sector were thriving in the remote parts of Isiolo South, especially in Garbatula town.

But Shariff's businesses - a wholesale shop, a lorry, and a PSV bus plying the Garbatula – Meru – Nairobi Route - were negatively affected after the advent of the coronavirus in March 2020. Measures that the government took to curb the spread of the novel virus -- including cessation of inter-county movement, dusk-to-dawn curfew, and others -- only exacerbated the effects of the pandemic on businesses.

To make matters worse, Sharif was the first person to contract the virus in Isiolo County. Medics at the time said he might have contracted the virus after interacting with his fellow businesspersons in Eastleigh, Nairobi, where he had travelled for business aboard one of his lorries.

In this video, Sharrif narrates how his life - and that of his family - was turned upside down after he contracted COVID. Enjoy....

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