Fearing coronavirus, African city dwellers flee to the countryside

Passengers are seen at taxi rank as residents of a number of African cities where the coronavirus is spreading are heading to the countryside to try to escape from the disease, in Johannesburg, South Africa, March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

NAIROBI/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Each morning at a crowded bus station east of Nairobi, Kenyans load their bags on to minibuses emblazoned with the faces of pop stars and Jesus, heading to their villages in the hope of escaping the coronavirus.

"I am going back home because of corona," said Amina Barasa, her yellow headscarf standing out in the dark bus. The electronics shop where she worked had shut, she said, and she was going to stay with her family away from the city crowds.