Informed by evidence from past studies andexperiences with epidemics, an intervention combiningquarantine, lockdowns, curfews, social distancing, andwashing of hands has been adopted as“internationalbest practice”in COVID-19 response. With massivetotal lockdowns complemented by electronic surveil-lance, China successfully controlled the pandemic incountry within a few months. But would this work forAfrica and other communalistic resource-poor settingswhere social togetherness translates to effective sharingof basic needs? What ethical and practical challengeswould this pose? How would communalism be translat-ed in special contexts to be useful in contributing to theultimate common good? This paper uses examples fromthe current situation of COVID-19 in Kenya to addressthese questions.