By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The District Emergency Operations Center in Kenema has banned people from transporting dead bodies.
Officials say henceforth all corpses must be buried where the death occur. The move comes amidst concerns that transportation of corpses is fueling the transmission of COVID-19 in the district.
Officials, at a press briefing last Friday, cited three separate incidents in Nongowa, Dama and Kandu-Leppiama chiefdoms were three people died and their corpses, which were later discovered to have tested positive of the virus, were transported for burial. Those incidents led to a chain of 13 infections, all of whom are said to be in the treatment center, recovering.
Regional Coordinator of COVID-19, who is also the Resident Minister East, Andrew Ansu Fatorma, said:
“We have agreed that any corpse within the district should be buried were the death occurred. There should be no travelling with corpses from one community to another.”
Mr Fatorma urged Paramount Chiefs to enforce the law in their respective chiefdoms, noting that it’s a way of protecting their people.
”No paramount chief should permit any corpse to move from one community to another and it should be enforced fully in their chiefdoms,” the Resident Minister said.
“Chiefs are obliged to compel their subjects to adhere to the by-laws without no-compromise,” he stressed at the press briefing.
Kenema district has recorded 24 cases of COVID-19 and four people have died so far of the virus there.
The ban in transporting corpses is just one of several by-laws the DEOC has vowed to enforce. Other regulations include the existing curfew and the wearing of face masks.
The Police boss in the region, AIG Thomas Mustapha Lahai, said they have arrested 15 people in the last week for breaking the inter district lockdown.
AIG Lahai said the next step of the law enforcement agency would be to apprehend people who do not wear face masks.
He said: “Anybody that default to use face masks will be apprehended by Police and charged to court.”
Umaru Vandi Kondorvoh, who is the district coordinator for COVID-19 response, praised the media’s role in sensitizing the people about the virus. He said the press briefing would be a monthly activity to update journalists on how the district’s response is gone.
“We have agreed to be updating the press for the attention of the public on monthly basis, so that the people will know the status of the fight in the district,” Kondorvoh said.
Copyright © 2020 Politico Online
