Less than 24 hours after confirming an index case of Covid-19, Sierra Leone has announced a second case which involved a medical doctor with no links to the first patient. Both cases were registered in the capital Freetown. To stop further spread of the disease in a country that suffered heavily in 2014 over the Ebola outbreak which it has not fully recovered till date, Sierra Leonean government has announced a three-day nationwide lockdown as a containment measure against the spread of the virus. The country’s Defence minister and national COVID19 Coordinator, Brig (Rtd) Kellie Conteh made this known in a broadcast. However, doctors in the country are calling for a two-week lockdown instead of three days arguing that 14 days is the normal incubation period for the virus and will enable them easily identify any potential cases. They also called for protective gear for all health facilities and a “designated and adequate facility” for affected frontline health workers”, plus compensation.
The country becomes the 48th African country to record a case as well as the last in West Africa to do so. Already a raft of measures has been imposed to check the entry and subsequent spread of the virus. As part of the measures, government announced that schools and other learning institutions throughout Sierra Leone will close indefinitely. Government had closed all borders last week after neighbours Guinea and Liberia did so.
Guinea also announced a 9pm – 5am curfew throughout the country to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Neighbouring Guinea which is also under a state of emergency, jump in figures have been recorded from 21 new cases to 52. The new cases emerged from a list of primary contacts of earlier patients from Europe. President Alpha Conde also isolates the capital, Conakry with no vehicular movements allowed to and from the rest of the country. This, after the country’s COVID numbers doubled. Guinea’s current tally stands at 22.
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Sierra Leone’s border closures come in the wake of same action taken by neighbours Guinea and Liberia. Guinea president Alpha Conde declared a state of emergency on Friday also for 30-days over the virus. The closure will last for a renewable period of 30 days excepting cargo vehicles which will be limited to two apprentices & a driver. They’ll be subjected to a 14-day surveillance by both countries on entry and exit. All learning institutions & entertainment centers have been closed for 14 days, as have churches & mosques. All cultural events have been prohibited.
Liberia is currently in a lockdown over the pandemic. The three countries were at the heart of the Ebola epidemic that killed thousands years ago. Despite being among 11 African countries that have not recorded any cases of the coronavirus, Sierra Leone president Julius Maada Bio has imposed a twelve-month state of public health emergency effective March 24.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry