Liberia: 'Self-Preservation and Stigmatization - the Ebola Epidemic Versus the Coronavirus Pandemic'
When I asked why I was denied entry, they said to me that I was from an Ebola affected country. Comparing EVD and Covid-19Fast forward to April 2020 and the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; and what we see is truly frightening. The CDC report also shows that Liberia recorded the highest number of human deaths (4,810), followed by Sierra Leone (3,956). Ironically, my country, Liberia, that loudly and vehemently protested the imposition of "harsh" travel restrictions during the Ebola crisis is now implementing "harsh" travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrieved from CNN.COM: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/18/australia/australia-chinese-restaurants-coronavirus-intl-hnk-scli/index.htmlClose Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Ebola Coronavirus Liberia By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 15, 2020 02:15 UTC
MOH Responds to Claim of Conflict of Interest and Diversion of Public Funds
Monrovia – The attention of the Ministry of Health has been drawn to an online article by frontpageafricaonline.com alleging conflict of interest including amongst other things diversion of resources and medical supplies by the Minister of Health, Dr. Wilhelmina S. Jallah. It is inconceivable to suggest any such transaction can occur at the Ministry given internationally established structure the Ministry has in place. Diversion of public funds to personal use is criminal; therefore, to suggest that a public servant is involved in such act without producing a single piece of evidence is mindboggling. It is also strange that FrontPageAfrica will only flag out the appointment of the CMO as violation of the JFK Act. It clearly painted the insensitivity of the poster to the effect of the national pandemic threading the survival of our people.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 15, 2020 01:52 UTC
Rejoinder To The FrontPage Africa Article-Liberia: 2,000 Trained Ebola Contact Tracers Being Sidelined For 6,000 New Covid-19 ‘Recruits’
6,000 active case Finders over 2000 contact tracers and greater than allContact tracers from the 15 counties. As a result of these factors, we have realized that we would need 15,000 active case finders to support the 2000 contact tracers. Montserrado County needs an additional 9,000 active case finders to identify all of the potential cases and contain the current spread. The second point is the confusion between active case finders and contact tracers. To say that the 2000 contact tracers are being neglected is a fabrication.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 15, 2020 01:41 UTC
Liberia: Accountability Measure Greets President Weah’s Ambitious State of Emergency Plan
New Phase of Pandemic Pose Challenges“Today, the Liberian Senate received the communication on the Declaration of a State of Emergency by His Excellency President George Manneh Weah. “Today, the Liberian Senate received the communication on the Declaration of a State of Emergency by His Excellency President George Manneh Weah. The LEC has submitted a COVID-19 electricity program that will be funded by this money. The LEC has submitted a COVID-19 electricity program that will be funded by this money. This program will further help the banks to increase lending to new borrowers.”The government domestic debt program aims to address the large stock of domestic debt spanning more than a decade.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 15, 2020 01:11 UTC
Liberia: Man, 20, Lost Eye in Fistfight
20-year-old Tonny Samolu who lost his right eye in a fistfightGanta, Nimba – Police in Ganta have arrested and sent to court a 25-year-old man for allegedly destroying his rival’s right eye in during a fistfight. Explaining his ordeal, the victim, Tonny Samolu, 20, said his adversary Victor Barzon had asked to allow him borrow his computer and when he returned it, he noticed that several parts of his computer weren’t there. According to him, when he noticed Barzon had allegedly removed some parts from his computer, he walked to Barzon’s house to ask him for those parts that had gone missing from his computer. It was during that time that it sparked up a fistfight between them that led Samolu losing his right eye. According to eyewitnesses’ accounts, the 25-year-old allegedly used a pair of scissors to destroy Samolu’s eye.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 14, 2020 23:26 UTC
Liberia: Nimba County’s ‘First’ Coronavirus Case Marred by Hauling and Pulling
The Jackson Fiah Doe hospital in Tappita, Nimba CountyTappita, Nimba County – Health authorities in Nimba County, mainly at the Jackson Fiah Doe Memorial Hospital, recently announced that a 42-year-old man died on April 3, 2020 in Tappita, Lower Nimba County was a result of the Covid-19. The passing of the man, put Nimba on the record for a case of the virus with other counties including Montserrado and Margibi. According to Dr. Philip Sahr, head of Nimba County Health Team, specimen from the 42-year-old was taken and tested and result showed that he was positive of the coronavirus disease thereby registering Nimba’s first case. However, family sources have dispelled this report by the Nimba County Health Team and termed it as false. Meanwhile, Dr. Philip Sahr of Nimba County Health Team has said that since the outbreak of the virus in the county, they are yet to have a holding center.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 14, 2020 23:15 UTC
Liberia: 20-Yr-Old ‘Rapes’ Girl, 9, in Nimba County
20-year-old suspect Daniel K. Wuo of Garr Zuluyee Town in District #2 in Nimba CountyGanta, Nimba County – The Women and Children Protection Division of the Liberia National Police in Ganta, Nimba County, has arrested and charged a 20-year-old man with rape. Daniel K. Wuo, a resident of Zuluyee Town in District #2, allegedly raped a 9-year-old girl while on their farm. The victim told our Nimba County contributor that the alleged perpetrator forced her in the bush and raped her. According to Ms. Suah rape is on the increase in the county. She told this newspaper that another 13-year-old girl was sometime ago raped to death in Tappita.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 14, 2020 23:15 UTC
Bankers Association Joins Covid-19 Fight; Donates Food & Sanitary Materials to NPHIL
The bankers’ donation, which was done recently at the NPHIL office in Congo Town is intended to enhance the fight against the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic as well as provide much-needed support to health workers. The LBA comprises of nine banking institutions, including the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment, United Bank for Africa Liberia, Ecobank Liberia Limited, GN Bank, AccessBank, Global Bank, Guarantee Trust Bank, International Bank Liberia, Afriland Bank as well as Central Bank of Liberia, among others. He acknowledged the efforts of the government in containing the virus and called on all Liberians to help in whatever way they can. “So, on behalf of the Liberia Bankers Association, I like to present to you (Mr. Fallah) this token in the fight against COVID-19,” he noted. The LBA boss was joined by the association’s head of Secretariat, Doren McIntosh and her assistant Sarah Lamie.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 14, 2020 23:03 UTC
Liberia: ‘It Felt Like Ebola – All Over Again’: Woman Who Went Into Hiding Over COVID-19 Laments Stigmatization, Fears
EBOLA DEJA VU: “I know what people went through during Ebola; I know the fear of what happened during Ebola – and so I panicked, I got scared and ran away. Like Deja vu, the feelings of 2014 deadly Ebola virus outbreak was seemingly staring her in the face. “I know what people went through during Ebola; I know the fear of what happened during Ebola – and so I panicked, I got scared and ran away. “I don’t know, I don’t remember touching anyone, I didn’t go to any public gathering. I don’t know….
Source:Front Page Africa
April 14, 2020 21:22 UTC
Liberia: CSO Human Rights Platform Wants Gov’t Adopts Guideline To Specify Securities, Residents Roles In CONVID-19 Fight Amid State of Emergency
The CSO Human Rights Platform said while it welcomes the state of emergency as a normal trend under the circumstances of the Coronavirus, the Government should adhere to the recommendations of the United Nations Human Rights Committee regarding the state of emergency declared by the Government of Liberia during the Ebola outbreak. The state of emergency declared in 2014 to tackle the Ebola crisis were marred by violence perpetrated by state securities against civilians. “The guideline should further spell out or specify conduct of the central role of state security forces in COVID-19 response to enhanced state of emergency directives. It also mentioned that while the government has made some progress in ensuring respect for human rights, outline in its National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP), there exists serious challenges, among them include the protection for health workers giving care to COVID-19 patients including their benefits. The group also wants that protections outlined under international human rights law should guard the State of Emergency enforcement by the Government of Liberia.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 14, 2020 21:11 UTC
‘Government Killing Us, Not The Virus’ – Red Light Marketers
Paynesville – Residents of the commercial hub of Red Light in Paynesville City have condemned the government action of shutting down the market and breaking down their market stalls. Sarah Barclay, 42, who told FPA that she had gone to the Red Light market to sell in order make ends meet, saw her stall already broken. Meanwhile, some marketers who are younger than Sarah have planned to react against the PCC for breaking their stalls. “Our action is intended to give the Red Light market a face-lift. We only broke down makeshift structures along the main street of Red light,” said Diggen.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 14, 2020 20:03 UTC
Letter to The President: The Evils of The State of Emergency and How It May Perpetrate Evils of Old
Letter to The President: The Evils of The State of Emergency and How It May Perpetrate Evils of OldYour Excellency, Mr. President:On April 8, 2020, you, Mr. President, announced the imposition of SoE in Liberia. This is extremely important and so, Mr. President, please pay keen attention. Therefore, any suspension of the human rights provisions of the Liberian Constitution under the SoE would constitute a violation of Liberia’s obligations under international human rights law. Mr. President, assuming you are being misled, do your advisors have conscious? Mr. President, this nation is concern and people are becoming weary of what may happen to them during this SoE.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 14, 2020 20:02 UTC
Liberia: Watkins Initiative for Nations (WIN) Advances Community Empowerment Program Against COVID-19
District 10 which housed the entire of Old Road Community has been categorized as the second-high burden coronavirus affected community in Montserrado County. Bulk of the WIN interventions are currently focused on the Old Road Community as an endeavor to help curtail the spread of the virus and keep communities innocuous. Meanwhile, Mr. Y. Solomon W. Watkins, the Executive Director of WIN has expressed serious concern over the upward trend in confirmed cases of the COVID-19. Mr. Watkins says the Government of Liberia needs to depoliticized the fight against the virus. We need to also use the community approach to fight Covid-19 with the Resilience used doing the EBOLA crisis recently won,” Mr. Watkins said.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 14, 2020 17:15 UTC
Liberia: President Weah Submits State of Emergency Plan to Legislature
The State of Emergency has imposed necessary economic costs on Liberians and the broader economy in order to achieve a public health and a public safety objective. The Government is working with the African Development Bank to determine the Bank’s support to Liberia under AfDB’s recently announced $10 billion COVID-19 support to African countries. Under the declared this State of Emergency, all 15 counties in the Republic of Liberia are hereby quarantined from 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 10, 2020, until further notice. This is why we have found it necessary to declare this State of Emergency. The State of Emergency has imposed necessary economic costs on Liberians and the broader economy in order to achieve a public health and a public safety objective.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 14, 2020 15:51 UTC
UNFPA Donates US$400K Assorted Medical Supplies and Equipment to Liberian Government
“We need to ensure that other health services continue unabated, to prevent losing pregnant women and girls as well as newborns during childbirth,” Dr. Ndyanabangi added. The UNFPA Country Rep. furhter stated that it is usullay during crisis that the health system collaspes. “So, under the previaling condition Covid-19 in the country, we need to make sure that other health services continue to function. “The Ministry of Health will ensure that these materials reach the various earmarked health facilities,” she promised. The Central Medicine Store keeps all the government’s drugs and other suppliesBoley said inasmuch as the country is battling the global pandemic, there are, however, other illnesses that the government, too, is fighting, including carrying on routine medical health services.
Source:Front Page Africa
April 14, 2020 14:15 UTC