Monrovia – In his January 1, 2021 publication in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Tom Frieden, former DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL (CDC) hailed Liberia as one of the top countries in fighting the deadly Coronavirus.
“Liberia, hard hit by the Ebola epidemic in 2014, was one of first countries to start screening for COVID-19 at Airports and to adopt other control measures, such as rapid testing, Complete contact tracing and quarantine” CDC’s Director emeritus asserted.
With scars of Ebola still on the County’s Economy and Health sector, the government of Liberia under President George Manneh Weah took no chances with the Wuhan virus.
With all hands on deck, there was a rapid response against the deadly disease that weakened its spread and minimized the predicted harm it poised to have cost the country.
In fact, Liberia came out as one of the only countries in the world with a projected growth in its GDP in 2021 by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
By late February of 2020, two months ahead of any registered case of COVID-19, the President of Liberia, His Excellency George Manneh Weah Ordered the establishment of the SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON CORONAVIRUS (SPACOC) when it was perceived that there was a likelihood of the virus spreading across the world – which Liberia would have been no exception. The stringent measures and early screenings at Airports and other entry points of the country helped in cautioning citizens which – greatly assisted the nation’s effort in battling the deadly disease.
March 16, 2020, Liberia confirmed its first Coronavirus case – a news that sparked up a scourge of fear in citizens of all class – considering the country’s brutal history of Ebola in 2014 that snatched the lives of over four thousand of its citizens. Not too long after the outbreak, with the mechanisms put in place, citizens gained confidence that their government was capable in ousting the virus. Though confirmed over one thousand seven hundred cases, except 83 deaths, the rest recovered and returned home to their families and loved ones while few are still quarantined according to the latest National Public Health Institute of Liberia- NPHIL’s report.
As a way of avoiding high infection risks in the country, the President declared a state of Emergency, ordered the reduction of staffs at public offices, encouraged citizens to follow health protocols- social distances in public places, wearing of mask and ensured that a stimulus package fund was made available for most vulnerable citizens across the country. There were worthy returns to the government’s efforts and today Liberia is safer from COVID than many countries around the Globe.
