MONROVIA – Senator Peter Coleman of Grand Kru County has told members of the Senate that surveillance officers of the Ministry of Health are tracing 300 Chinese and 11 Liberians who have entered the country in the last one month.
“We are tracing all these people. We have information from the Liberia Immigration Service and these people will be quarantined for 10 to 12 days.”
Speaking further, Coleman who chairs the Senate Committee on Health said an emergency center has been identified where an inter-agency committee meets on a daily basis.
“We don’t want to be caught pants down,” he said.
He maintained that from the public health prospective, government through the Ministry of Health is tracing all contact ensuring that anyone showing signs would be isolated.
Senator Coleman also told the Senate that the Government, through the Ministry of Finance, has approved US$1 million for tracing, but some senators are raising concern about the procedure.
Senators Nyounblee Karnga Lawrence, Conmany Wesseh, and George Tengbeh raised concern over the procedure of appropriating the amount because, according to them, appropriation is the function of the legislature.
“While we take this issue seriously, we want to be careful with accountability, we don’t want people using the situation to enrich themselves and doing nothing about the situation,” Sen. Lawrence said.
Senator Gale-Gbo Brown of Maryland County wants government carry out the process in a holistic manner which will include all counties, especially those bordering neighboring countries.