Not that Kenya doesn't have the perception of being a country that still has to live with Covid-19 and its latest incarnations, but the Christmas and New Year vacations continue without major deprivations or restrictions. They languish controls, especially in tourist resorts, because of what ultimately suits everyone, on the minimum requirement for access to hotels, restaurants and activities of all kinds, namely a vaccination. "And who should check? - asks the owner of an Indian supermarket in Malindi - I certainly don't have time, with the work that there is in these days, nor has anyone passed, as was the case at the time of social distancing and other restrictions".
In reality, social distancing, as well as the obligation to wear masks without one's nose out, would still be there, but everyone has forgotten about it, and rightly so.
Rightly so because for every annoying practice, and Italy is a master in this, if there is no obligation, there is no self-discipline.
The information site Open has published in recent days an investigation, with an interview with the president of the Federation of Travel Agents FIAVET, according to which more than two thirds of Italians who are currently in exotic destinations, are there without the requirements, with fictitious letters of invitation, as false volunteers, etc.. Will they be checked upon return? No one believes this.
"The 70% of those who traveled to non-European destinations did it in an irregular way - writes Open - That is, declaring to be a volunteer, to travel for work, to have the need to visit relatives abroad. The result are irregular trips, made by unscrupulous operators who work online, or tourists who book on their own. In both cases they go where they can't go using fake invitations to seminars or inventing business meetings or using departures from third places. These are people who escape all tracking. In addition to the economic damage to the travel chain, they are also dangerous from a health point of view".
They too, like the rules, will rightly be forgotten.
Kenyans, on the other hand, have happily invaded the tourist resorts with a good average of vaccinated people: in Nairobi, according to official data from the Ministry of Health, 33% of citizens have already received both doses and one out of 2 Nairobans has at least one in his body. This concerns mainly the upper-middle class, because it is excluded that in the slums and degraded suburbs there has been a rush to the vaccine.
Those who have arrived on the coast, as happened last year, have also brought the variant omicron that has largely melted in the hot and humid sun of these weeks, waiting for the wind to change. Suffering a bit more seems to be the Europeans. Between Malindi and Watamu there are about fifty post-Christmas positives, very few of whom are hospitalized or have a high fever.
Omicron here is less serious than a flu that catches throat and nose and has affected quite a few people.
Many tourists from Nairobi have preferred closer locations: the hoteliers of Naivasha rejoice, declaring sold out, as well as the places of attraction, including the new thermal pools of Ol Karia. In Mombasa, however, Bamburi beach is impassable and seen from a drone it looks like an impressionist painting of the desire to have fun, even too much so.
Other destinations such as Lamu and Malindi itself, thanks to the many positives, will opt for more intimate solutions for New Year's Eve: dinners at home or in restaurants with limited seating. Even if there are enough people to fill the many places that have arranged parties and dinners on reservation.