Monrovia – TheExecutiveMansion has announced the arrival of a huge consignment of COVID-19 testing kits in Liberia from the People’s Republic of China.
Report by Willie N. Tokpah, [email protected]
Deputy Presidential Press Secretary Smith Toby told Executive Mansion reporters Tuesday, March 31, that the kits were transported through Senegal, one of several African countries affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic.
“The President along with the Ministry of Health and other partners to this government has secured some huge number of emergency health supplies to put us in readiness as a country. Testing will be carried out by trained health practitioners to know our status,” Mr. Toby said.
Toby said the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) will begin a vigorous testing exercise next week.
He said the testing is in line with the report from the World Health Organization, calling for all countries to carry out testing of all its citizens.
The testing will be conducted at various stations that will be set up across the country including the Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville.
“The leaders of the world are saying, to prevent your country is to not be complacent. It’s not about the number of cases reported but the process of continuous testing which is very key to the status of people in the country,” Toby said but did not state the number of testing kits and its cost.
Toby has also disclosed that the President has effected a procedure to prevent him from interacting with many people.
“For the survival and health condition of the President, he is not entertaining guest as usual, but is working and holding meetings on the health crisis from home and at his Jamaica Resorts as well,” he said.
Toby disclosed that an “Executive Mobile Team” has been set up by President Weah to spread message on the prevention of COVID-19 in simple Liberian English.
He said the mobile being used was brought into Liberia for the President’s county tour, but was diverted to the fight against the pandemic.
He then encouraged the Liberian media to used their various medium to keep preaching awareness messages on COVID-19
Toby, at the same time, expressed President Weah’s commendation to health workers who continue to carry out sacrifices during this time crisis.
Dispelling Rumor against President Weah
Meanwhile, Mr. Toby has dispelled rumors in the public that President Weah attended worship service on Sunday, March 29 in violation of public health guidelines.
“We live in a society that some Liberians still believe that giving out misinformation is a way of life and some of our citizens believe that information. There are no regulations that said church service should not go on in the rest of the 13 counties, unless Montserrado and Margibi,” Toby noted, adding, “The President is a law-abiding citizen and will not go against guidelines set by the health authority.”
He did not speak straightly to whether President Weah attended worship service outside the two hot zones.
However, Toby expressed disappointment in individuals for “politicizing the pandemic”, calling on media outlets to do check and balancing of their information properly.
“We want to speak to those media institutions that tried to lift that misinformation that they are equally responsible for their actions to hold a talk-show without even counterchecking their information. It is not fair to the President,” he intoned.
At the same time, he said the committee set up to investigate reports of brutality against Liberian Journalists has requested to start work by April 15. The committee is headed by former Information Minister Lawrence Bropleh.