By Alpha Abu
Freetown and its environs are to be cut off from the rest of the country in a bid to stem the spread of the new wave of Covid19.
A statement from NACOVERC says effective 25 January the Western Area will go into a partial lockdown for two weeks. Movement from and into the region will be restricted to only essential travels that will be regulated by an Electronic Pass system. Even those allowed to travel will be subjected to a Covid19 test.
A nationwide 10 pm to 5am curfew will also come into force within the same period.
Bars and restaurants will be closed during weekends. Inter-district movements outside of the Western Area have not been affected by the new restrictions.
The new measures were announced by Brig (Rtd.) Kellie Conteh who leads NACOVERC.
At a press conference facilitated by the Ministry of Information and Communications in Freetown, he said that since December there had been “an exponential rise in confirmed Covid-19 cases largely attributable to the festive season”. He said routine tests in communities and on outbound passengers alone accounted for over 80% of confirmed positive cases, giving strong indications of active transmission within communities.
The Director-General of the West Africa Health Organisation at the 85th Ordinary session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers recently, declared that the sub-region was now experiencing the second wave of the pandemic.
The NACOVERC boss in light of the latest developments pointed out that they were working to “strengthen test regimes at land border points of entry into Sierra Leone.
“We must, with renewed vigour and extra vigilance, pull together as one nation to address this second wave”, Conteh called.
Other measures have been reinforced such as the mandatory wearing of face masks in public premises and transportation, with tougher penalties for defaulters.
Places of worship are still to hold services but should not exceed one and a half hours and where there is more than one service, the interval should be marked by thorough infection prevention control cleaning exercise.
NACOVERC has also instructed that gatherings including those by government offices must adhere to measures and the display of Covid-19 preventive messages.
The lifting of the ban on sporting activities remains in place though it has been ordered that games be conducted behind closed doors.
As of yesterday the cumulative number of positive COVID-19 cases in Sierra Leone was 3,081, with 79 deaths recorded. This is the 43rd week since the pandemic was first confirmed in the country. The outbreak has affected jobs and businesses.
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