By Mabinty M. Kamara
There have been growing calls for an end to the curfew imposed under the current state of emergency instituted in response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
These calls have particularly increased in light of the reopening of schools reopen, amidst already difficult situation with the public transportation system in the capital Freetown.
The curfew has been one of the most contentious issues among other restrictions, especially in Freetown. For many other Sierra Leoneans, the curfew is a major obstacle to the growth of their businesses.
At the start of the pandemic, President Julius Maada Bio declared a state of public health emergency, which gave him the power to impose a raft of measures to curtail the spread of the virus in the country.
Amidst pleas from the public, the president on Tuesday 23rd June readjusted the curfew, by reducing the hours.
Many citizens now say at this point there is no reason for the curfew to remain in force, given its effect on their livelihoods.
Francess Gbao, a commuter from Wellington to Paterson Zochonis (PZ), in an interview with Politico expressed frustration over the curfew, noting that it’s what is making it more difficult to access public transport.
“When there was no curfew, we wait till after 9PM before parking our businesses. By then, most people would have gone home, especially the school children and the office workers. But now we all fight together, because nobody wants to be on the streets until 11 o’clock,” she said.
She added: “The government need to remove this law because we are suffering. I feel more for the afternoon school children because by the time school closes, it’s almost night and the school buses park early. In fact, buses are not even enough for them.”
Mamamoud Jalloh, who commutes between Waterloo and Freetown, was more concerned about the pupils who are sometimes on the street until late at night struggling with other grownups for transportation.
“Go to Ferry Junction around 8 o’clock and see the number of school children you meet there, all waiting for vehicles. It is during times like that many of them go astray, especially the girls, because they are there with boys unguided. But if there is an efficient transport system, that will not happen, because from school, the busses will drop them off at their stops. For now, we all fight together which is really bad, and the curfew is not helping,” he said.
While the concerns over the effect of the curfew cuts across the city, the transportation challenge seems to be more serious in the east end.
Isatu Fofanah, a resident of Lumley in the west end of the city is more concerned about the curfew.
“My restaurant hasn’t been making much profit ever since this curfew was imposed, because we even hesitate as to the amount of food to prepare because of the small time available for sale,” she said.
“I don’t see what COVID-19 has to do with night. During the day, we experience worse, we go to market places where there are many people. But at night you don’t see such crowds. So I am calling on papa government to lift this curfew so that we do our business with ease. The health authorities have said it is going to be with us, so are we going to be like this forever?” she asked.
Copyright © 2020 Politico Online
