Monrovia – Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon has proposed several recommendations and stringent measures to the Government of Liberia (GOL) to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Senator Dillon, who is also the Vice Chairman for Political Affairs of the opposition Liberty Party (LP), said the government should lockdown the entire country, particularly Montserrado County and impose a curfew for a number of days to keep people off the streets.
His recommendations were contained in a statement posted on his official Facebook page at the weekend.
“The deadly Coronavirus Disease has taken the life of a victim in Liberia with growing number of people being tested positive. Sad and troubling! It is time for us (Government) to take and implements all of the measures, even very stringent measures going forward for our own safety and wellbeing,” Senator Dillon said.
He also suggested that the government should pay all civil servants for two months in order “to enable them buy food and get their basic needs as they remain home” to respect to the social distancing measure.
Senator Dillon added that government should also ensure that employees in the private sector are paid by their employers in a timely manner.
He added that funding must be provided to medical staffs to enable them purchase food and other needed items for distribution to orphanages, the Group of 77 and other known organizations catering to people with disabilities, as well as public hospitals among others.
The Montserrado County lawmaker further underscored the need for the government to suspend the US$0.30 being charged on every gallon of petroleum products sold in the country. He said this will help alleviate some of the difficulties citizens are faced with in commuting from one place to another.
“The deadly Coronavirus Disease has taken the life of a victim in Liberia with growing number of people being tested positive. Sad and troubling! It is time for us (Government) to take and implements all of the measures, even very stringent measures going forward for our own safety and wellbeing.”
– Abraham Darius Dillon, Senator, Montserrado County
He added that the pump price of petroleum products must also be reduced in a bid to reduce the burden citizens who do not have access to public electricity but use generators for the provision of electricity at their respective homes.
He further called for measures to be put in place to ensure that the supply of electricity to areas within the reach of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) remains “regular and stable” and that the Liberia Water and Sewage Corporation (LWSC) ensures the constant supply of pipe borne water.
At the same time, the Montserrado County Senator appealed to landlords to be “considerate in demanding rent money from their clients during this period”.
He wants government to ensure that GSM companies operating in Liberia restore the “Three Days Calls” and data charges restored to previous cost, something he added will give ordinary people the opportunity to remain connected.