COVID-19 FIGHT CAN BE WON ONLY WHEN WE STEP UP
Arguably the most controversial and most-talked-about viral infection in modern times is here with us. COVID-19 is a pandemic which, apart from claiming hundreds of thousands of lives has become a nuisance to mankind. Such has been its prolonged disruptive nature that some developed countries can’t wait any longer and are easing restrictions put in place to control its spread. But with the resurgence of new coronavirus cases in countries like China, South Korea and Germany which had put their outbreaks under control and relaxed measures, the stark reality is that this virus can’t just go away and the sooner a vaccine is found, the better.
In Sierra Leone we are caught in this quagmire fuelled by ignorance, lawlessness and corruption. You step outside and you come face to face with the rather shambolic attitude of people towards anything connected to containing the spread of the coronavirus.
Nkoroh Kellie and his NACOVERC team will have to roll up their sleeves as the fault lines in tackling the spread of the virus are just all over the place. Here are some grim spectacles or occurrences that stare us in the face every:
1. Apart from the initial public show of compliance with the use of face masks, the inclination has died away, with not too many people masking up in public anymore. The much trumpeted compulsory use of face masks for passengers on public transport that was propounded by Transport Owners and the Drivers’ Union didn’t last even a week. Classic example of sound and fury but signifying nothing!
2. Social distancing is just a favourite phrase for campaigners and you have to just see the teeming crowds at market centers or queues at the banks, bus stops and electricity meter selling centres. Cheek by jowl is the best description one can find to describe the spectacle.
3. Known spots of passengers going to the provinces are still alive and kicking inspite of the ban on inter-district travel. The hustlers there are less- discreet in finding passengers who are willing to pay relatively hefty fares to beat the system
4. People still do the hugs all over the place with no regard for their safety and that of others. And fingers still just about rub over eyes, nose and lips!
5. People enter hospital facilities with no face masks and they sit close to each other. Go to Connaught hospital and see what we are talking about.
6. Drivers of commercial vehicles ignore the reduction in passenger capacity instituted by government and blatantly overload. Police at Regent take in defaulting drivers for “questioning” but are let off the hook to continue their journey.
OUR KIDS IN FREETOWN DON’T CARE ABOUT RADIO LESSONS, DO THEY?
The Ministry of Basic and Senior Education may have done a marvelous job in the setting-up of the radio teaching program so our school children could make the most of this COVID-19 holidays. Teachers are on air throughout the week giving out very useful lessons. However there is a growing realization that many of our kids in Freetown in particular don’t give a hoot about the sessions that are being aired. You take a walk along neighbourhoods and you see kids who should be giving rapt attention to what is being delivered, busy doing things that are absolutely of no value to their educational growth or development.
If they were not at familiar haunts like gambling grounds or locked in useless arguments with peers, they would be watching lewd pictures on their phones or listening to very explicit music. The picture is totally different with kids in especially towns upcountry where youngsters are passionately following the classes on radio. You could hear their excited voices as they share their experiences. However some kids in remote places aren’t so lucky since their areas can’t be reached by radio signals and are clamoring for the radio lessons to reach them. Or their parents simply cannot afford a transistor radio or the batteries required to power them on. We expect Ministry officials to make plans for an extension in transmission to all.
REALITIES TO PREPARE FOR FACING COVID-19
As scientists get locked in laboratories from Tel Aviv to London, Paris to Ankara, New York to Geneva in their frenzied search for a vaccine to ward off the coronavirus, people around the world are just about eager for a return to normal life once a solution is found. We’re just not certain exactly when governments around the world would tell their people the scourge was gone so they could return to normal business. The whole world is anxiously looking forward to that moment but the truth is the virus has turned our world upside down, and no matter what, life would never be the same again. People would come from lockdowns, quarantines, curfews and other social restrictions to see a new world. Let us try to put together what we do expect and the lessons we would have learned.
1. The bereaved will truly miss loved ones who succumbed to COVID- 19. Readjusting to life without a family member or close friend would be quite a traumatic experience for many. With a return to normalcy, the true absence of a dear one would be really felt. Their counsel or sometimes harsh rebuke of your actions would be missed after all as you come to realize they were such a pillar you could really lean on but which sadly is no more.
2. The unplanned lengthy moments in the house together as a result of the curfew and other restrictions would have brought to the fore incompatibilities and shocking revelations of infidelity in the lives of couples. We expect to see an upsurge in divorce applications as many would just want to see out the termination of their relationship and move on.
3. By now people would have come to see how valuable or precious freedom of movement is in life. Many countries around the world have had months of lockdowns and for us in Sierra Leone, we have experienced two separate three-day lockdowns. The restrictions took a toll on the mental strength of many of us despite still having our yards or lawns to stroll around, and we found it hard to understand why people would brag about intending to wreak havoc and be ready to face incarceration.
4. Some now see the value of having people as relations, neighbours or friends. In developed countries like the USA, many have resorted to queuing up at food banks which is demeaning to some but who couldn’t do otherwise. Some other people have turned to relations and friends for a lifeline. The livelihood and lifestyles of a lot of people have been altered considerably, due to the pandemic and the saying ‘’no condition is permanent’’, is well and truly in play here.
ANOTHER BLACKMAN SHOT IN AMERICA. WHEN CAN BLACKS BREATHE?
Almost a month after George Floyd’s brutal public murder by a white policeman in the United States sparked outrage around the world and galvanized massive support for the Black Lives Matter campaign, another African American has died at the hands of the Police. Rayshard Brooks, 27, last Friday night fell asleep in his car close to a drive-through Wendy’s fast food joint in Atlanta and when officers came, he was subjected to a sobriety test which he reportedly failed. A scuffle then ensued and as Brooks took to his heels with a police Taser, police officer Garrett Rolfe shot him in the back a couple of times.
Generally one of the rules of engagement emphatically dissuades the shooting of someone in the back. Moreover, in Brook’s case, he posed no threat and was actually running away from the cops as he was gunned down. That another brutal police murder of an African American would come so soon with world opinion stacked against US cops clearly sums up the argument that systemic profiling of blacks and coloured people in America is ingrained in the psyche of the police department.
Officer Rolfe in the video of the incident could be heard telling his officer mate Devin Brosnan, “I got him”. Even more reprehensible was for Rolfe to kick the dying Rayshard whilst Brosnan stood on his shoulder, typical of hunters triumphing over a trophy (animal sanctioned for pleasure hunting). Many African Americans just don’t trust the establishment anymore. They say they can die any moment at the hands of the police and there will be the usual hashtags and demonstrations but the killings will continue.
People talk about making officers accountable for their deeds but honestly effective reforms are needed in America’s public sector for blacks to experience true acceptance and respect in society. As going now to a grocery store, restaurant or night-out could end tragically for the African American, we are bound to ask, when can blacks breathe?
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