Monrovia, Kakata/Gbarnga – Nothing else illustrated the first day of the 21-day State of Emergency in the commercial hub of Red Light, than the popular Monrovia-Ganta parking, the first transit parking for incoming and outgoing vehicles at one of Monrovia’s gateway. It was a strict compliance with the stay-at-home directive that President George Weah announced Wednesday, April 8, in his nationwide broadcast aimed at stopping the spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-CoV-II (Covid-19) pandemic.
Report by Selma Lomax, [email protected]
That Ganta parking, usually a beehive of activities for almost 10 -15 hours of the day, was a shadow of itself, devoid of any human activity, save for a few pedestrians strolling. Everything else, grinding traffic jam, noisy roadside traders, unorganized market and stalls were completely absent.
FrontPageAfrica had gathered that many of the vehicles attempting to enter the Redlight Market from the direction of Margibi, Bong or Nimba Counties, were stopped by 3pm at various checkpoints along the highway by the combined team of officers, including the Liberia National Police (LNP) and personnel of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
This newspaper had also gathered that in many instances only vehicles belonging to the Ministry of Health and motorists who could explained why they are on essential duty, were allowed to pass through the roadblocks.
Gbarnga, Bong County
In Gbarnga, police officers and military personnel went around town to enforce the directive of the President.
In all there, was a semblance of total compliance.
A local food seller in Gbarnga, declined to be named, but told FPA: “I cannot afford to stay at home and not feed my children. I know it is risky to be out here, but if I don’t come out to look for what to feed my family, we will die of hunger faster than being killed by the virus.”
Also in Kakata, Margibi County, police officers enlightened citizens of the danger of not obeying social distancing. They urged them to go back to their houses, emphasizing that the essence of the stay-at-home order is to minimize social interactions thereby preventing the spread of the disease.
Ganta and the State of Emergency
Theresa Dahn runs a roadside restaurant in Ganta, a bustling city in central Liberia. Before coronavirus, her food business saw lines of people forming to buy their meals. Now they are all gone and her business has almost collapsed, she said.
The 42-year-old says she is responsible for the welfare of her three children and extended family members.
In the lead up to the state of emergency, Ganta was thronging with crowds as shoppers raced around to stock up to beat the daily 3pm deadline set for the shutdown of the city.
But many could barely afford to stock up as prices had increased. “Some people are shouting, they are crying and going home without buying anything. Things are too expensive,” Felicia Peters, a trader at the Ganta main market told FPA.
“It’s bad oh! For a lot of people, it’s the profit they make per day is what they will eat. As they are shutting down now, I wonder what it will look like, hunger will kill some people. We pray that government should do something about it. We are begging them, they should help us,” she added. Another resident only identified as Comfort, told FPA, “There are no provisions, no facilities made available for us to cook. So people are in panic buying goods and food. It’s crazy. People are hungry, some people depend on daily sales.”
Preparing for life in lockdown
Liberia’s electricity problems are now very apparent to Beatrice Morris. Beatrice, who is a resident of Barnesville Estate in Monrovia said Friday, April 10, was her second day working from home and just like the day before Friday, there was still no electricity.
“I will have to stock up on fuel at home which is very dangerous for me,” Beatrice explains. On Thursday, after working for a while without electricity, the battery on her laptop was exhausted and she had to walk into her office to get work done.
For Beatrice, most of her preparation has, in fact, been mental. Because of a general uncertainty about a touted lockdown of Monrovia, Beatrice said she and her other colleagues at work did not know if they would work from home and how to prepare. Now, she has to stock up on food and other essentials and prepare for the coronavirus pandemic to pass.
Bong records maximum compliance
The first day of the three-week state of emergency order to curb the ravaging coronavirus recorded maximum compliance in Bong County as residents kept to the rules.
Major roads were deserted except for a few motorists who were on ‘essential duties’. The Superintendent of the county, Madam Esther Walker, expressed satisfaction on the compliance, adding that residents have lessened the burden of security operatives with their level of compliance.
“I want to mostly thank the residents of Bong County for showing their sense of being civil, their sense of being law abiding. They have lessened the burden of security agency,” she said.
Continuing, she added: “We are in the monitoring deal. We have not had any cause to chase after any citizen, as it is now. So, I want to appreciate them and want them to continue in this high spirit until the virus is eradicated. So far the compliance level is totally satisfactorily.” “Remember in my last interview, I told you we are going to be polite. We don’t want to subject our people to mental torture because we are passing through a very difficult time. We must give them an enabling environment to comply and cooperate with the security agency,” she added.