Sierra Leone News: Grabbing the Ebola Bull by the Horns

Business

Sometime ago I wrote under the Headline:” Waiting for the Golden Ebola Zeroes.” Well we are close to the zeroes and the signs are showing, we now getting single digits. President Koroma’s latest address to the Nation has been largely lauded by the majority of the citizenry. It is welcome news mainly because many people want to get back to their normal lives and leave Ebola behind. There is however a minority which, while they thank the President, remain cautious that we make haste slowly, since as a Nation we are yet to score a national Zero. In any case I think we can manage the situation. On April 10, 2010, President Koroma pronounced the free Health Care Scheme at a time the nation was ill-prepared to kick-start it. It was like testing the depth of the river with both feet which is rather risky if it happens that the river is deep. Well in 2010, we did just that and managed to challenge the currents and swim quite satisfactorily for a couple of years. You can say that, so it is with the latest Presidential address. Perhaps the main difference between the 2010 and 2015 scenarios is that while the 2010 river had no crocodiles to disturb our swimming, this time round there is this invisible crocodile that swallows without biting, called Ebola. Let’s look at the aspects of the speech that may have issues. I think the most appreciated aspect is the lifting of restrictions to inter- district and inter- chiefdom movements of people. Immediately the pronouncement was done, people started to pack their things to travel the very next day. This is useful both for livelihood and familyhood. Some families have been cut off for months on end. Traversing chiefdoms and districts have been nightmares as serious as the days of the war. Having said this, we also need to look at the fact that movement of people spreads the Ebola virus. With movement not restricted, wicked male survivors can travel and stay in other parts of the country and infect others. Are we not in a very difficult situation? Ebola is not like religion in which all you need is faith and you are okay. Ebola abhors all the nice sentiments we have for each other, demonstrated through care and support. The other issue is the re-opening of schools. Indeed we all long to see our relatives back in school. Yes, but we need a schedule of activities leading up to the opening of schools. Modalities need to be put in place to see that the schools are thoroughly disinfected. There are a lot of crowded schools; I think this is the time to ensure compliance with the education standards set. We are told there will be thermometers to take the temperatures of every child. We need to work out the practicality of this. We all know the case of the hand wash; many buckets are no more seen in public places. How many thermometers do we need for a school of 500 to 1000 pupils? Are the classrooms spacious enough to avoid children rubbing against each other? In any case how will the children play without touching? These are very difficult questions that may not have answers. Listening to the ordinary foot citizen, the concerns surround the situation with Lumas and cinema halls and Video centers. Can any middle of the road action be taken to return the livelihood of people who live on these? People continue to compare the lumas to the markets in big towns especially those in Freetown. Perhaps the Lumas could be overseen by security personnel who could ensure body contacts are avoided. May be at this stage, we should start mapping chiefdoms in which we had no Ebola case and showcase them. Just as Ebola prefers individualism, so our approach should be isolationist. This is really a paradox or irony. We are expected to show love to persons with Ebola but then we should make sure we do not touch them without gloves. The Sunday no trading restriction stays and from the look of it, many people do not have any issue with it. Maybe one of the groups that are directly affected are youths who depend on cookery Rice sellers for their daily meals like motorbike riders who do not make arrangements for food. In most cases, households have to buy what they need for Sunday on Saturday which is fair enough. The 7.00 pm end of trade has been of some good. We realize that a whole lot of hangers- on are on the streets because trade is going on and they take the opportunity to pick-pocket and other negative behaviours that may aid Ebola infection. An overall assessment of the President’s speech is that to a large extent it is in place. Like they say, the sin of omission is graver than the sin of commission. Most times inaction may cost more than an action, even if the action has some flaws. The boldest step is the planning for schools to re-open in second to fourth weeks in March 2015. A lot needs to be done but it is worth trying. It is like we all will try hard to reach the Ebola zeroes, so that our children can enjoy school. Now, like last Friday, we had a total of 14 new cases. We should be in position to know where exactly these came from, so that our Surveillance and Contact tracers can follow up. The moment we capture all the contacts, then there will be no new cases. The President was very clear on the stoppage of hazard pay and volunteers. However I think for the volunteers there should be a staggered stoppage, so that areas still with Ebola cases can be attended to. It is better to bear the expenses than allow Ebola to linger around far longer than necessary. Given that people have moved around the country very much immediately after the President’s speech, it is expedient for at least a one day lock-down to clear the last set of sick people refusing to come out for treatment. This exercise will create more confidence into the citizenry. It will also raise the resolve of people to be more vigilant neighbourhood watchers. This way we can say ‘Tata’ to Ebola. Thank you, Mr. President for being so upbeat in the Ebola fight. Remember, until the last infected person dies or survives without infecting somebody, Ebola is not over. By Ben Cambayma Tuesday January 27, 2015

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