Monrovia – Joint Security Task Force personnel implementing the State of Emergency to curb the spread of the Coronavirus disease in Liberia are said to be exposed to the killer disease themselves due to the lack of safety gears and materials, including nose masks, to guarantee their safety while carrying out their assigned tasks and responsibilities.
Report by Obediah Johnson, [email protected]
The Joint Security Task Force include the Liberia National Police (LNP), Executive Protection Service (EPS), which is the presidential elite force, National Security Agency (NSA), Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS), Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation (BCR) and the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), according to police spokesman, H. Moses Carter.
Since the enforcement of the state of emergency began, many of the joint security personnel usually come in close contact with pedestrians and marketers while enforcing the directives in market places and other areas. These officers are doing so without nose masks or other protective gears.
Though some of these marketers, pedestrians and others are seen with nose masks and other preventive materials, including gloves and detergents, vast majority of the security actors enforcing the state of emergency directives remain vulnerable in the streets.
FrontPageAfrica has gathered that many of these officers are implementing the mandate at a slow pace for fear of losing their lives due to the lack of the necessary protective gears or materials.
The latest situation has caught the attention of Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Francis Kateh.
Speaking in an interview with reporters in Monrovia recently, Dr. Kateh expressed concern over the vulnerability of the Joint Security Task Force members, who are enforcing the state of emergency.
According to him, health authorities are making efforts to help provide the basic protective gears to security actors.
Dr. Kateh noted that despite the lack of the provision of those protective gears, security forces and other citizens should make use of the locally produced nose masks to carry on their assigned tasks and responsibilities and to stay safe.
He added that despite the huge challenges in terms of logistical support, security actors enforcing the state of emergency remain a part of the Ministry of Health’s plans.
“We’ve thought about the various joint securities; as a matter of fact, we’re trying now to see how we can also provide basic things that they will need in order to protect themselves”.
“You see me here using my locally-made mask, I encourage all Liberians to begin to use the locally-made masks. The M-95, no, they should not be used in the streets; it should be used by those dealing with the confirmed cases.”
LNP says not all officers are protected
Officers of the LNP, particularly the Police Support Unit, continue to play a pivotal role in the enforcement of the state of emergency.
Most often, these officers are seen at market centers in the lockdown and quarantined counties, enforcing the stay home order, and preventing marketers from selling their goods or produce on the streets, instead of the market buildings.
Police Spokesman Carter told FrontPageAfrica via telephone on Thursday, April 16 that some officers of the LNP enforcing the state of emergency are protected by wearing nose masks, while several others remain vulnerable.
“I know that some of our officers have nose masks and other protective gears; and some of them do not have. We are working with the Ministry of Health to see how best they can supply us with some of these protective gears”.
“We are working to make sure that our officers are protected to carry on this mandate assiduously”.
Speaking further, Carter disclosed that the LNP will not relent to take punitive measures on marketers leaving market buildings or centers to come on the streets to trade their goods, produce or services despite the lack of sufficient protective gears.
According to him, any marketer found selling on the streets will be dealt with in line with the measures imposed by the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL).
“We want everyone to stay in the markets and even as you stay in the markets, you will have to observe social distancing and the protocols that have been announced by the MOH and the NPHIL. All of these efforts are meant to ensure that our citizenry are in compliance so that together we can combat the coronavirus in our country.”
Carter also informed the public that officers of the Brewerville, Monrovia and Paynesville Cities Police forces remain actively involved in the enforcement of city ordinances during this state of emergency period.
The LNP Spokesman disclosed that though Monrovia City Police (MCP) and Paynesville City Corporation police (PCCP) officers are not part of the Joint Security Force of the Liberian government, they (MCP and PCC officers) will scrupulously enforce city ordinances during this period to ensure public safety.
“They are working collaboratively with the Joint Security in making sure that together we can combat coronavirus from our country.”
There have been numerous complaints over the alleged intimidation and harassment of peaceful Liberians by particularly, officers of the MCP and the Liberia Scout Association (LSA).
Some citizens, including marketers have complaints that some scouts and MCP officers have allegedly stolen their belongings and other valuable items, humiliated and brutalized them even though they were in their various communities before or above the 3 p.m. deadline.
The situation led to the immediate withdrawal of the LSA from enforcing the state of emergency.
Health experts believed that these security actors enforcing the state of emergency would serve as a major conduit for the spread of COVID-19 across the country if they remain vulnerable while enforcing the directives from the President.
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