By Mustapha Kamara Jnr
Last week, the International Organization for Migration (OIM) has ended a day conference with the Sierra Leone Airport Authority and International Security Advisory Team (ISAT) on security policies and standard of operations at the Lungi international airport.
The IOM conference took place at the Lungi Airport Hotel in Kalfu Bullom Chiefdom. The conference was part of a Health and Humanitarian project that was funded by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) to improve health defence structure of the country.
IOM’s Health and Humanitarian project manager, Ben Potter said the conference aims to bring together management of the Airport, security agencies and its partners so that they would deliberate on how to strengthen the screening process and to ensure 100% screening and security of all passengers that were coming in and going out of the country through the airport, so as to prevent the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease.
Speaking on the project, Foster said they have been able to capacitate airport agencies staffs, monitors all travelers and have also ensured imp roved standard of operations at the airport was adhered to.
“With the help of the airport agencies, there is now twenty four hours professional health screening and twenty four hours monitoring to ensure everything at the airport runs smoothly “he said.
Though the country is now recording few confirmed cases of the EVD, Potter said the airport was still a risk and is faced with serious treat of the disease.
However, he said IOM would continue a robust screening exercise so as to ensure no victim of the Ebola outbreak enters or exit Sierra Leone through the airport.
A representative from the International Security Advisory Team (ISAT), a security agency at the Airport, Squadron Leader, Craig Doodson said the security agency had designed and implemented security policies not only to prevent the Ebola Virus Disease but to ensure maximum security at the airport.
But before designing and implemented the security plan at the airport, he said ISAT had worked with the Sierra Leone Police, Soldiers of the Republic of Arm Forces and the Civil Aviation Authority and IOM to look at the vulnerable points at the airport that needs to be improved.
“We are assuring everyone from the airlines, the local populace and the international populace that you can come in Sierra Leone and go out, you would be screened and you will be safe,” Doodson said.
He went on that ISAT would physically and procedurally monitors the airport and ensure standard of procedure is adhered to, maintained and sustained.
The Squadron Leader said the security has been working to enable a successful health screening process at the airport. He recommended also that screening and proper security service should continue after the end of the outbreak.
Meanwhile, Acting Managing Director of the Sierra Leone Airport Authority, Swarray Deen thanked IOM for organizing such a conference that brought security forces at the airport and international and local partners together.
He said the conference was timely considering the relevance of the Lungi Airport which is the country’s only airport especially at the moment when the country was recording few confirmed Ebola cases within the country
Also the acting General Manager said they have been vigilant to ensuring that the country neither import nor export Ebola victims in and out of the country.
Commenting on the impact of the Ebola outbreak on the Airport, he said the authority received a Sharpe financial shock from nine major airlines that were operating in the country.
“We were struck by the EVD virus; we were taken aback, fortunately due to our resilient we were able to stop the virus and to date were have not imported neither exported any Ebola victim” Deen said.
He said the conference would give confidence to Airlines owners to start their operations in the country.
However, the acting manager said they were still encouraging flight owners to start operations though some owners were still reluctant to start their operations in the country because the country was still recording cases of Ebola. He encouraged all Sierra Leone to stop being complacent especially those working at the Airport.
© Politico 26/05/15
