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Address
to the Nation on the Ebola Outbreak By His Excellency The President Dr.
Ernest Bai Koroma July 30, 2014 |
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Today, I
ask the entire nation to mourn with the families of our national heroes
including Dr. Sheik Humarru Khan who lost their lives battling the
Ebola outbreak in our country. They were
true patriots, paragons of service. We must win this fight in honor of
their memory, and with prayers in our hearts, for all our compatriots
who are victims of this deadly disease. Since the
outbreak, my government, in collaboration with development partners has
continued to mobilize and deploy resources and expertise nationally and
internationally to fight the disease. I have
been in contact with world leaders and global partners to meet the
challenges; we have set up coordinating mechanisms with the World
Health Organization and other international bodies; we set up an
inter-ministerial committee to mobilize MDA support activities; trained
and deployed hundreds of health workers, contact tracers and burial
teams; and facilitated awareness raising on the disease by paramount
chiefs, religious leaders, non-governmental organizations, civil
society organizations, musicians, okada riders, market women, the media
and ordinary citizens. The
disease is beyond the scope of any one country, or community to defeat.
Its social, economic, psychological and security implications require
scaling up measures at international, national, inter-agency and
community levels. Extra-ordinary
challenges require extra-ordinary measures. The Ebola Virus Disease
(EVD) poses an extra-ordinary challenge to our nation. Consequently,
and in line with the Constitution of Sierra Leone Act Number 6 of 1991,
I hereby proclaim a State of In order
to continue to take direct control of the situation, I have cancelled
my trip to the US-Africa Summit in the We are
launching a National Response Plan to inaugurate Phase Two of our fight
against the disease. I also hereby establish a Presidential Task Force
on Ebola which I will chair to champion the implementation of the
following:
All epicenters of the
disease will be quarantined;
The police and the military will give support to health officers and
NGOs to do their work unhindered and restrict movements to and from
epicenters;
Localities and homes where the disease is identified will be
quarantined until cleared by medical teams;
Public meetings and gatherings will be restricted with the exception of
essential meetings related to Ebola sensitization and education;
Active surveillance and house-to-house searches shall be conducted to
trace and quarantine Ebola victims and suspects;
Parliament is recalled to promote MPs leadership at constituency levels;
Paramount chiefs are required to establish bye-laws that would
complement other efforts to deal with the Ebola outbreak;
Mayors, chairmen of councils and councilors are hereby required to
support Ebola control measures in their local government areas;
All deaths must be reported authorities before burial;
New protocols for arriving and departing passengers have been
instituted at the
Cancellation of all foreign trips by ministers and other government
officials except absolutely essential engagements. These
measures will initially be implemented for a period of 60 to 90 days,
and subsequent measures will be announced as and when necessary. In
addition, Government is establishing a special account for donations
from corporate interests, organizations, the Diaspora and the general
public to support the fight against Ebola. I also
hereby declare Monday August 4, 2014 a National Stay at Home Day for
Family Reflection, Education and Prayers on the Ebola outbreak. Fellow
citizens, this is a national fight, and it behoves all of us to stand
together to promote the truth about this deadly disease. Ebola is real,
and we must stop its transmission. There have been over 130 survivors
of the disease. There is hope that early detection of the virus in
persons can boost their chances of survival. This is why it is very
necessary to get those with the virus to treatment centers not only to
prevent others from contracting the virus, but also increasing their
own chances of survival. Fellow
citizens, Thank you
for listening and God Bless Sierra Leone. |
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