Liberia’s Chief of Staff, Major General Prince C. Johnson, says officers of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) who were on standby are now ready to be deployed where needed to support health authorities to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease.
Maj. Gen. Johnson said both the infantry and the Liberia Coast Guard have been activated to be on standby to support health authorities when needed noting, “We are on the standby just in case, based on the recommendation and our input to the health authority. We standby to deploy and help to stop the spread,”
Gen. Johnson said on a radio broadcast show, 1 July 2021 in Monrovia that the AFL has reactivated its medical unit and it is on standby to support the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL).
12 of Liberia’s 15 counties are now in response, while the remaining three counties including Grand Kru, River Gee, and Grand Gedeh are still standing and are in preparedness while on the overall, Liberia has recorded a little over 120 coronavirus deaths cumulatively since the crisis began in March 2020 to date and has also recorded 4,098 cases of the virus cumulatively.
The third wave of the virus is considered more deadly than the previous two waves of the virus experienced last year, and health authorities have been cautioning the public to take health protocols more seriously and be inoculated.
The AFL Chief of Staff also noted that on June 27, 2021, the Ministry of Health visited the 14th Military Hospital which was one of the Covid treatment facilities during the previous waves of coronavirus saying facility is prepared just in case StarBase is overwhelmed by covid.
“Already we have constructed tents at the Roberts International Airport (RIA). I think they have this new rapid response test that anybody coming now they can do, and they asked us, we provided tents. We also built another tent at the SKD Sports Complex for the activities there,” Gen. Johnson noted.
Additionally, he said the AFL is providing perimeter security for the StarBase Covid-19 Treatment Facility.
On COVID-19 vaccination, Gen. Johnson said he has taken his first dose and he’s scheduled to do his second this month.
General Johnson also noted that for the Ministry of Defense and the AFL, only persons who are vaccinated and are preparing for their second dose are allowed into the military facilities and that the AFL has completed 50 percent of its personnel based on the vaccines that the military got.
Gen. Johnson is therefore encouraging personnel of the Armed Forces of Liberia, their dependents, and the citizenry to continue to follow the health protocols as announced by the Ministry of Health.