By Kemo Cham
Security forces and officials enforcing Covid-19 measures in Sierra Leone will soon have legal basis to prosecute violators, when a set of comprehensive measures prepared by the National Covid-19 Emergency Response Center (NACOVERC) is published.
Officials say the set of rules and regulations, termed Enhanced Measures of Covid-19, have already been gazetted and it is expected to be published anytime from now, at which point it becomes law.
“We are not just talking about enhanced measures, we are talking about enhanced measures formulated in a constitutional instrument and published in a gazette,” Solomon Jamiru, spokesman for the NACOVERC, said at the daily press briefing of the Center on Friday, July 17.
“When people are in breach of the measures and if you want to prosecute them, you can do so pursuant to a constitutional instrument, cite the law that has been violated, which is a critical step,” Jamiru, who is also deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, added.
The briefing was held in Kabala, the headquarters of the northern Koinadugu District, where the NACOVERC communications team was on the 15th leg of its ongoing tour of District Covid-19 Emergency Response Centers (DICOVERCs).
The nationwide tour is meant to furnish the national authorities with information about the operations of the DICOVERCs. Kabala is the 15th district to have been visited by the team.
The document was prepared in accordance with a presidential pronouncement last month. President Julius Maada Bio, in his nationwide address on June 23rd easing some of the Covid-19 restrictions imposed at the beginning of the pandemic, ordered the NACOVERC to come up with enhanced measures to keep the public in check in terms of adherence to preventive measures.
The government said at the time that the easing of restriction was meant to return the country to normalcy. But concerns were rife that amidst continued transmission of the virus, the public could interpret the move to mean the end of the pandemic.
Even before the easing of the restrictions, there had been very low level of adherence to the measures, from non-observance of social distancing, as seen in overcrowded spaces, including commercial transport vehicles, to refusal to wear facemasks.
Enforcement of the measures have been difficult partly due to lack of a legal basis to force people to obey. Consequently, authorities across different districts have been handling their enforcement measures differently. Some rely on local courts which reference by-laws to prosecute offenders.
This way there have been reports of several arrests and planned arraignment of people in at least three districts in the southern and eastern regions: Bo, Bonthe and Kenema. Local courts have been fining people in these districts Le20, 000 for failing to wear facemask, according to sources.
But there had been no efforts to force public transport owners to adhere to the rule requiring them to carry only 50 percent of their normal capacity.
The gazetted measures, according to Harold Thomas, Head of Risk Communication at NACOVERC, addresses all these issues. He said it notably proscribes for a fine of Le100, 000 for not wearing facemask.
Wearing of facemask was made compulsory by the government in April, in line with experts’ advice that it protects against transmission of the virus, which is believed to be spreading in droplets. The apathy is largely attributed to denial about the existence of the virus and, in many cases, sheer ignorance about it.
Thomas said the gazetted measures also proscribes penalty for violations by transport owners, both public and private. He explained that the penalty entails that for first offense for overloading, a vehicle owner is fined. A follow-up offense by the same vehicle owner will lead to impounding of their vehicle.
NACOVERC officials admitted that the easing of restriction had the tendency of making people even more relaxed.
But Jamiru said the move by the government was meant to strike a “fine balance” between saving lives and sustaining livelihoods by allowing a critical part of society to continue functioning.
“So we have to get people understand this game of balance. Ease of restriction doesn’t mean end of corona. But it means government and the NACOVERC is trying to achieve a game of balance,” he stressed.
The widespread disregard for the measures has largely helped increase the rate of community transmission in the pandemic.
Sierra Leone is planning to resume international flight this Wednesday. This is expected to be followed by the planned reopening of the country’s land boarders.
Schools remain closed, except for students in examination classes at primary and secondary levels. There is word that discussions were also ongoing to partially open schools at tertiary level for remedial classes for students sitting to exams.
Jamiru said while a lot of people knew about the dangers of Covid, it wasn’t reflected in their attitude, noting that that is a challenge which wasn’t unique to Sierra Leone. He also noted that one reason for this is because a good number of Covid-19 cases were asymptomatic, meaning people having virus without showing symptoms.
“That is our challenge, and also the element of denial. So we have to understand when some people want to live in denial,” he said, adding: “the fact that people live in denial, the fact that people not wearing mask, should not discourage anyone.”
As of Friday July 17, Sierra Leone had 1, 688 cumulative confirmed cases of the viral disease. Of these there were 404 active cases at isolation centers. The number of deaths still stands at 65.
Last Friday marked the first Jumaa prayer in Sierra Leone since the ban on congregational worship was lifted. And the NACOVERC spokesman lamented that the initial signs indicated non-compliance to measures agreed with religious leaders with specific reference to wearing of masks in the mosque. But he insisted that none of that should discourage anyone.
“That should make us continue to fight,” he stressed.
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