THERE HAVE BEEN mounting fears amidst huge denial since the Coronavirus news hit Liberia but in spite of the attitude we Liberians have been portraying, the Government of Liberia through its health authorities set in measures thus declaring a national health emergency just to contain the virus from spreading.
THESE MEASURES ARE in keeping with Title 33, Chapter 14 of the Liberian Code of Law Revised known as the Public Health Law designated Montserrado and Margibi Counties as infected areas in which several rules and regulations were to apply immediately and remain in effect for 21 days beginning as of March 21.
THAT IS TO say that by April 11, these measures might be relaxed or extended if need be but interestingly, Margibi and Montserrado which are bordering counties have occupants therein who interact interchangeably and also before getting to other counties, it is obvious that one has to pass through either of the already declared affected counties which should have made traveling within the country difficult.
LEST WE FORGET, the international airport, the Roberts International Airport, is located in Margibi County, one of the affected counties and the three branches of government is centrally located in Montserrado another affected county; something that is yet to catch the attention of the citizens so that we take more caution if we are to keep safe from this virus.
HOWBEIT, THE MEASURES among other things called for the restriction on the movement of people in and out of the affected areas, all travels in and outside of Montserrado and Margibi areas are discouraged while community dwellers were pleaded with to report people who show signs and symptoms of the virus.
THIS HAS NOT been the case with citizens in the country as it is just six days since these measures were announced, residents as well as citizens trooped back into the country either from a Coronavirus infected country or transited through one and had interactions on flights that could lead to being affected with the virus.
THE SIMPLE MEASURE is that in any such case, one must sincerely inform the health authorities about his or travel history and submit to the measures in place to be quarantined which is for the safety of oneself and the family members but we have noticed that several persons especially government officials have reneged on doing this or are blatantly bypassing the already deficient system set in place at the airport.
TO DATE, ALL of those confirmed so far who contracted the virus from out of the country as none of them contracted it from an already affected person from within which is a good sign for Liberia and this could help us contain the virus once all borders be it land, air and sea remain closed.
THE GOVERNMENT TOO needs to help be squarely pronouncing punitive measures to be taken against any official who does not report to the health authorities but instead would want to carry out self-quarantine measures when in the first place they did not go to the health facility to get tested.
OUR ATTENTION HAS been drawn to the representatives who should be exemplary for the people they represent. They should stop making themselves vulnerable because Coronavirus has no respect for Honorables and to self-isolate themselves when they are unaware of their status is dead wrong.
REPRESENTATIVE SAMUEL G. Kogar returned from Ghana having travelled by road through the Ivory Coast with another Rep. Francis Dopoh and crossed the border into Butuo thereby entering the country and is undergoing self-isolate which is like carrying a nuclear weapon on your people because who knows, if he or his colleague were to be affected.
THERE HAVE ALSO been calls for Rep. Edwin Snowe to turn himself over to be quarantined; the status of Snowe has not been revealed as well; this is serious and we call on the government not to shield some officials and make loud noise about some not wanting to submit to quarantine measures.
THIS FIGHT TO contain Coronavirus must be holistic and the seriousness must begin from those in authority because imagine if you use one of the porous border points to enter the country and self-quarantine yourself in your village; imagine how many persons you will infest just in case you too are positive of the virus.
IN SOPHISTICATED COUNTRIES, the virus has overwhelmed their health facilities and our Liberia which is said to have no system; please, this is a plea that we kneel to make to all of us so that we do not undermine our own efforts in declaring our country Coronavirus free.
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