MONROVIA – The public should remain vigilant despite the government of Liberia easing of restrictions over the coronavirus pandemic as the number of cases remains surging, the National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL) has urged the public.
“NCSCL is appealing to everyone within the borders of Liberia not to see this move by the President to mean that the fight against the virus is over,” the country’s largest civil society group said in release on Tuesday. “COVID-19 is still very much alive in Liberia as the numbers reported daily by the National Public Health Initiative (NPHIL) and the Ministry of Health continue to show.”
President George Weah did not extend the state of emergency when it came to an end on Tuesday. The President has stretched a dusk-to-dawn curfew to 9 pm daily for counties that have recorded the disease and lifted it for the ones that have not. He also removed travel restrictions, limiting it to counties with no record of the disease.
The release praised President Weah for the move.
“We welcome the decision of the President as laudable. We believe this aims to enable people to move around in the time and space provided to make ends meet for their families and at the same time help the economy to begin to resuscitate,” it quoted Loretta Pope-Kai, its national chairperson. The Council appreciates the actions of the President as being in the right direction and in the best interest of the state.”
Coronavirus cases are increasing daily, with 31 deaths from 383 cases at the time of writing.
The release said easing of the restriction this time meant people should intensify adherence to the preventive measures, including staying at home, wearing facemasks and observing physical distancing and community checkpoints.
“We are beginning to see that even community taskforces are no longer active and erected checkpoints in the communities are left abandoned,” Mrs. Pope Kai said in the release. “People are moving their washing hands buckets from their homes and moving around without masks. This is wrong. We must not relax believing that COVID-19 is gone.”
She further added that, ‘If Liberia is to win the fight against COVID-19 in the soonest time, everyone must start by defeating complacency and respecting the rules of engagement by fighting individually and collectively to save the Motherland.”