By Bampia James Bundu
In collaboration with Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority and USA Centres for Disease Control, the Sierra Leone Airports Authority has completed a day’s training on primary and secondary screening procedures on Ebola Virus Disease.
Speaking at the Airport Transfer Unit at Lungi, the airport General Manager, John Sesay said “as a country we have to do all we can to prove to the world that we can prevent and control the virus from spreading further by putting up proper screening procedures at the Airport and other places around the communities”.
He said the country had been gradually isolated by other countries due to the prevalence of Ebola, adding that the training was to capacitate their workers on how to use the new screening equipment for passengers to and from Sierra Leone.
Sesay said staff would also acquire knowledge about the handling of passengers suspected to be carrying the virus or exposed to it.
As an authority, he went on, they were working to ensure the provision of all necessary safety precautionary measures needed by airline owners to encourage them to continue flying back to Sierra Leone. He commended the CDC for their support in training their staff, adding that the training would enable them to do their work professionally in the area of combating Ebola”.
Director General, Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority said it was necessary for participants to treat the training seriously as their role in manning the airport was very important. Abubakarr Kamara said that was expected of the airport workers “especially now that the Ebola virus has become a national concern”.
He continued that they the civil aviation authority were doing all they could to ensure they controlled all entry and exit points of the airport and to the chiefdoms to minimise the risks of transfer. He pleaded with airline owners to reconsider their decision to suspend flights to Sierra Leone as passengers were still stranded in Freetown.
Lead Facilitator, Dr. Kathrin Khol said they would continue training the participants on the use of the new thermo scan temperature machine, thermal cameras, personal protective equipments and body bags. She revealed that more doctors and nurses had been deployed to the airport to ensure passengers were properly checked before leaving and entering into the country.
She said they would be monitoring the airport for the next three weeks to ensure necessary scanning procedures on passengers were followed.
Speaking on behalf of airline operators, the Airport Manager of Brussels Airlines, Andrew Thompson, expressed appreciation for the scanning equipment. He said “this will encourage our home officers to reconsider their decision in cancelling flights in the country”.
“We don’t believe in pulling out in a country because of crisis, we always stand by them in good and in bad times”, he said.
(C) Politico 26/08/14
