Since President George Manneh Weah’s nationwide broadcast during which he announced the first confirmed case of the Coronavirus in Liberia, the President has tightened grip on the health institutions to ensure that the pandemic is contained in Liberia. The Liberian leader has taken steps including the health emergency imposed by the Ministry of Health in order to compel adherence to social distancing which led to the closure of basic social institutions, including schools, religious institutions and some businesses. The government, through the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) designated quarantine centers and is appropriately providing public awareness on preventive and containment measures such as handwashing and avoidance of contacts amongst others. While some residents lingered in denial because Liberia has recorded no death, other countries are recording huge number of cases and deaths. With only three confirmed cases recorded since, President George has been reaching out to foreign partners. Notwithstanding these efforts, the government warns against denial of Covid-19 existence in the country, The Analyst’s Anthony Jiffan reports from the Executive Mansion.
The Executive Mansion has announced that there will be testing Centers across Monrovia by next week to enable individuals wanting to know their status get tested, and the process will be conducted by professional health practitioners in the country. The Executive Mansion also disclosed the availability of multiple testing equipment in the country through the assistance of foreign partners.
According to the Executive Mansion, the government has been working to secure into the country the multiple facilities, and has already acquired a huge quantity of testing equipment.
Addressing the Executive Mansion regular press briefing yesterday the Mansion’s spokesman who divulged the latest good news to the country said Liberia has secured huge quantity of testing equipment from the government and people of China, and pointed out that the equipment will enable the country to carry out multiple testing exercise.
“A rigorous testing campaign will begin in the next few days, and I can tell you that the president has been very instrumental in making sure that those testing materials come to the country,” the Mansion’s spokesman said.
As part of its efforts, the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Health will begin testing of persons suspected to have contracted the coronavirus, and others entering the Liberia from heavily affected countries throughout the world.
The Executive Mansion indicated that the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex and other places designated by the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia will be used as testing points.
The Executive Mansion said the President has been finding solutions to contain the deadly COVID-19, and that the President’s efforts include reaching out to partners through phone conversations to ensure that the country is given support in its fight against the Coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the Executive Mansion is calling on Liberians to stop living in state of denial, indicating that denial has the propensity to undermine the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and at the same time cause the country to go greater into danger.
Liberians did similar thing in 2014 during the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Liberia, saying that as a result of doubts and denial of the existence of Ebola at the time in the country, thousands of lives were lost before people realized that they needed to have taken prevention against the virus, the Executive Mansion said.
The Mansion asserted that denial went to the extent of accusing the government of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of stage-managing the Ebola situation and creating conditions to get money from donors, was of course counterproductive to the fight against disease and will be counterproductive also against the anti-Corona fight.
“The more we doubt situations, the more its affect us before realizing the implications of being in doubt” the Executive mansion warned.
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