Sierra Leoneans must listen to MOHS – CMO MOHS

Business

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Canon Dr Thomas Samba of Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) has called on Sierra Leoneans to listen to the ministry and stop following most of the messages that are on social media that are counterproductive to combating the virus. He said the same preventive methods that they used for Ebola are the same that should be used for the coronavirus. The CMO said the ministry has put out a travel advisory notice for Sierra Leoneans. “We are concerned about the increasing spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in countries around the world, including West Africa. At the moment, over 125 countries have been affected with over 124,000 cases and more than 4,600 deaths. In compliance with the International Health Regulations (IHR), the Ministry of Health and Sanitation has activated the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) to level 2, to coordinate the emergency preparedness and response activities with the goal of preventing importation of cases and mounting a robust response whenever necessary.” Rev. Dr Samba averred that Sierra Leoneans are strongly advised to postpone intended travel to any country, which has reported confirmed cases of the Coronavirus until the outbreak is halted. “In the interest of safety for your families and communities, the following is advised must be adhered to. We must practice good hygiene; stop handshaking – use other non-contact methods of greeting; wash hands at regular intervals with soap and water or hand sanitizer; create habits and reminders to avoid touching your faces and cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing; disinfect surfaces like doorknobs, tables, desks, and handrails regularly; increase ventilation by opening windows or adjusting air conditioning; consider rescheduling large activities and gatherings; consider adjusting or postponing community gatherings, adjust community arrangements to avoid mixing large crowds and when possible, hold meetings outdoors or in open, well-ventilated spaces.” The CMO also called on Sierra Leoneans to avoid eating together in the same bowl with others, those preparing food must do it in clean and hygienic environment and should ensure that they buy food from people that are following the procedures of strict hygiene. The Communications Lead at the Directorate of Health and Security Emergency Mr Harold Thomas said as at present they have about 119 cumulative that have been quarantined and currently they have 31 people under quarantine. He said people should not concern themselves about those that have fever or headache under quarantine as they are tested regularly. They should be concerned about positive case instead. “We are happy that we have been doing the quarantine for about a month now, which I believe has been a deterrent to many people who wanted to travel. If you are coming for a three-day conference and you have to go under 14 days’ quarantine, there will be no use for you to come. So it is good that we have started the quarantine and it is working very well.” He said even though the virus is around Sierra Leone, because of the measures they have put in place he is sure that they will be able to combat it immediately if there is any case.

Fill the forms below to register

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.