News

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

Foreign nationals in Sierra Leone are scrambling for flight tickets ahead of a deadline to ban international air travel into and out of the country.

The ban is part of measures by the Sierra Leone government to keep the Coronavirus from reaching the country.

The Ministry of Transport and Aviation on Thursday said it had given airlines 72 hours, up to Saturday, March 21, to make the necessary arrangement and fly out their booked passengers.

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

The Sierra Leone government is considering a range of measures to cushion the possible economic effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Finance Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa, said on Thursday that the administration was considering measures like tax break, tax deferral and other incentives for businesses. He announced the move in a press briefing on the preparedness of the country for the pandemic.

By Mabinty M. Kamara

The Mano River Union (MRU) has disclosed plans to support member states in the fight against Coronavirus, which has posed a major global health threat.

Ambassador Medina A. Wesseh, MRU Secretary General, said there was a need for collaboration among its member states and that the Secretariat was working on a plan to coordinate such.

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

The government of Sierra Leone has announced the suspension of all flights to the country. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Transport and Aviation on Thursday as part of moves to curb the spread of the global Coronavirus pandemic.

The decision will come into effect on Saturday, 21^st of March when the last set of scheduled flights is expected to land.

Government says it has already issued a 72-hour notice to airlines across the world about this latest move.

By Mabinty M. Kamara

The Government of Sierra Leone has announced that school and colleges should be shut down by the 31^st of March this year. The announcement means that schools will close a week before they were scheduled to.

The move by the Ministries of Basic and Senior Secondary Education and Technical and Tertiary Education, is part of a raft of measures that were announced on Friday to prevent the country from the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

By Mabinty M. Kamara

The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), an Independent Research Institution based in Kenya, in partnership with Statistics Sierra Leone, have announced that a proposed survey on safe abortion in Sierra Leone will start in May this year.

The revelation was made on Wednesday at a stakeholders’ conference held to discuss and understand common problems associated with abortion in the country.

By Mabinty M. Kamara

The National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM) has launched the maiden edition of its newsletter.

The 27-page magazine, which officials say would be published twice a year, was launched on Wednesday at NATCOM’s headquarters in Freetown. The regulator said the publication is a vehicle to enhance the public’s understanding of its work.