March 20: The Government of Sierra Leone announces plans to save the economy from the effect of the Coronavirus. “We are discussing the possibility of tax deferrals, tax breaks and cuts,” Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa says in a press conference.
- March 22: Sierra Leone closes airspace and bans all commercial flights from flying to the country.
- March 24: President Julius Maada Bio declares a yearlong State of Emergency in response to COVID-19, and the Ministry of Local Government bans the holding of weekly trade fairs (Luma).
- March 28: Sierra Leone shuts down all land borders for an initial 30 day period.
- March 30: President Bio names Brigadier (Rtd) Kellie Conteh as the head of the country’s Coronavirus Task Force.
- March 31: Sierra Leone records its first Covid19 case. “I have called this Press Conference today to announce that Sierra Leone has registered its index case. Case number one is an imported case. He is Male, Age 37 years, and he came to Sierra Leone from France on an Air Brussels flight on 16th March 2020,” President Bio says.
- March 31: All schools and colleges are closed indefinitely.
- April 1: Sierra Leone records case number 2. “Case No. 2 is not connected to case No. 1,” Minister of Health, Prof. Alpha Wurie says. She is a female medical doctor.
- April 1: Government announces a three-day lockdown
- April 2: Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association calls on government for the lockdown to be extended to 14days.
- April 2: Guinea records 21 new cases taking their total to 52.
- April 3: Liberia records one new case taking its total to seven.
- April 3: Government orders an indefinite 8:00pm to 7am curfew in Kambia district which borders Guinea.
- April 3: Global cases of Coronavirus pass one million mark
- April 5: Three-day lockdown begins, as the country records two new cases: an Italian and a Sierra Leonean who were both in quarantine after they travelled to the country. It takes Sierra Leone’s total cases to six.
- April 8: Three-day lockdown ends in Sierra Leone. Guinea records 20 new cases to take its total to 164 and President Alpha Conde declares a State of Emergency.
- April 9: Government of Sierra Leone announces a range of measures to curb transmission. The measures include an inter-district lockdown and a 9pm-to-6am curfew.
- April 11: The country records Covid19 Case No 10.
- April 12: The curfew and inter-district lockdown measures come into effect.
- April 16: Kenema District records its first case.
- April 17: Kenema records second case. This is also the day when the country records one of its highest numbers of cases – 11, bringing to 26 the total number of cases.
- April 18: For the first time the country records cases for four consecutive days.
- April 19: Tonkolili records its first case. The country records a cumulative total of 35 cases.
- April 19: First set of COVID-19 recoveries released from treatment centre. Six patients are discharged after they have gone through treatment.
- April 20: Sierra Leone reaches a grim landmark by recording a cumulative total of 50 COVID-19 cases.
- April 20: President Julius Maada Bio and his family go into self-isolation after a bodyguard tested positive for the virus.
- April 22: The country records first COVID-19 death. By this time the cumulative total of cases is 61 – 43 in Freetown, 8 in Waterloo, 1 in Tonkolili, 6 in Port Loko and 3 in Kenema.
- April 23: Four more recover from the virus to take the total recoveries to 10. Second death recorded – a 69-year-old passes away at Choitram Hospital.
- April 24: NACOVERC appoints 16 District Coordinators to lead the efforts against the virus.
- April 24: Ministry of Finance releases its first update on COVID-19 funds.
- April 26: Inter-district lockdown is extended indefinitely and Bombali District records its first COVID-19 case.
- April 27: A prisoner is diagnosed with the virus. Labelled Case 90, he will escape days later, but will be apprehended.
- April 27: The Judiciary announces the closure of all courts.
- April 28: Courts across the country halt proceedings
- April 28: Sierra Leone reaches another grim milestone, recording 104 cases in total, 77 of them in Freetown.
- April 29: Bonthe joins the tally by recording 4 COVID-19 cases.
- May 2: 34 Military Hospital announces it has made history by carrying out the first surgery in West Africa on a COVID-19 patient. The patient later recovers and is discharged.
- May 3: Bo District records its first COVID-19 case and the second three-day lockdown starts in Sierra Leone.
- May 4: President Bio and family complete self-isolation and test negative for the virus, government confirms.
- May 4: Sierra Leone overtakes Liberia after recording 21 new cases on this day, taking its total to 178. Liberia records just 8 cases to take its total to 174.
- May 5: Sierra Leone records 21 cases for the second day running, equalling its record daily infections. It take its tally to 199.
- May 6: Sierra Leone beats its own record by recording 26 new cases in 24 hours.
- May 6: Violent protests at Tombo after a group of youths go on the rampage accusing authorities of repressive corona virus restrictions which could have an impact on their livelihood – fishing.
- May 7: Two more Covid-19 deaths take the death toll to 16.
- May 7: Koinadugu district records its first case, making them the 9th administrative district to record a case after Bo, Bonthe, Bombali, Kenema, Port Loko, Tonkolili, Western Rural and Western Urban.
- May 9: Another record for daily infection – 34 confirmed cases. This takes our tally to 291.
- May 10: Nine more recoveries take country’s total to 67
- May 10: Falaba joins other districts to record its first case. 2 cases are confirmed.
- May10: Sierra Leone receives its own Madagascar Covid19 Organics.
- May 10: Sierra Leone: 307 cases, Liberia-199, Ivory Coast – 1,700 and Guinea – 2,146.
- May 13: 49 test positive, the highest single day recorded in the country. They include the first two cases from Kailahun.
- May 15: Moyamba records its first case.
- May 18: The last standing district in the Southern region, Pujehun falls to the virus. It records two cases.
- May 20: The country records its highest number of daily recoveries yet as 38 people are discharged from treatment centres. This brings the total recovery to 205.
- May 21: Kono joins the list of districts to record cases of the corona virus. The district records 3, making Kambia and Karene the only two districts yet to record a case.
- May 24: Sierra Leone controversially records 100 cases, by far its highest daily tally. 67 of the cases are among a group of 85 Sierra Leonean deportees from Kuwait who had all tested negative before repatriation.
- May 24: Kambia records its index case, leaving Karene as the last district standing.
- May 25: 52 COVID-19 patients discharged in Sierra Leone. The highest number of recoveries to be discharged in a single day. Taking the country’s total to 293.
- May 31: For the first time in three weeks, Sierra Leone records a single digit infection. Nine cases are recorded to take the country’s tally to 861.
- June 1: Law on the compulsory use of facemasks in public places comes into effect.
- June 2: Kenema records 27 out of 31 cases nationwide. Taking the district’s total to 67, more than any of the 14 districts nationwide.
- June 5: Sierra Leone announces 89 recoveries from the virus in a single day, making this the highest single day discharge of patients.
- June 8: The country marks another grim milestone by hitting past the 1,000 mark.
- June 11: Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education announces July 1st as the date for the partial reopening of schools – only external examinations classes.
- June 23: President Bio eases restrictions. Ban on inter-district travel is lifted the next day and curfew time relaxed from 9pm to 11pm.
- June 24: Goods and passengers start to travel all across the country following the end of inter-district lockdown.
- June 27: Karene has fallen! The last standing district against the virus records two cases.
- June 30: NACOVERC starts a 10-week active case search in the Western Area.
- July 1: Schools reopen across Sierra Leone for the first time in three months, to welcome pupils in Class 6, JSS III and SSS III.
These facts were compiled by Mohamed Jaward Nyallay. Dates and Figures have been mostly sourced from Ministry of Information and Communication and Umaru Fofana’s Facebook pages.
Copyright © 2020 Politico Online
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