The country's capacity to effectively respond to such a crisis as the Coronavirus outbreak is dismal. AMAKA, a New York based Human Capacity and Social Capital Development firm, believes Liberia needs an actionable plan that is void of politics and imbued with leadership in order to effectively respond to and tamp down the Coronavirus impact:
๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง
Activate and deploy a central emergency response system in each county and require robust collaboration between national and local support functions.
Develop, disseminate, and enforce mechanisms for a coordinated national assistance to supplement local resources and existing framework.
๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
Consider an SOS call to the countryโs limited experts. Every other country is doing this. Outreach to the countryโs known doctors locally and internationally, veteran public administrators, and experienced emergency responders to join the national efforts.
The country cannot effectively respond to and solve the Coronavirus threat or crisis all by itself without both consolidating its human resources as well as international supports.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ
Just calling 4455 alone isnโt enough. Provide additional home options so as to avoid overwhelming the already unequipped health facilities and providers. THINK! Develop and aggressively provide educational messages and materials on the Dos and Donโts of Coronavirus prevention. A song alone isnโt enough!
Make quarantining undaunting and ensure cleaned quarantine locations, running water, and effective checks. Provide support for how to self-quarantine and how well it can be done!
๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ
Importers of rice and petroleum: subsidize them and require a certain quota to sustain the national demands of these products over a 3 to 6-month period
Restrict the border! Make it a real restriction! Allow only daily livelihood items to be imported so as to not overwhelm the first responders at the border. Allowing such items must be done under the strictest medical checks and supervisions.
๐๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง-๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ง
Let the national government be aware of how each county will respond to the outbreak. Let the locals in the county also be aware of how their leaders will respond.
Let the national government consider support packages for each county, local governments, and health centers based on needs and density of outbreak.
๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ
Take national inventory of health care resources including providers, equipment and emergency medical supplies currently in the country per health center per county.
Explore sources of supplies and consider procuring critical equipment that arenโt currently available in the country or are below inventory; empower public health organizations
๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง & ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ
A song alone isnโt enough! Back it up with other targeted public awareness measures
Let those who are going around to educate the public dress appropriately and let the campaigners themselves be educated on the virus.
๐๐๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ, ๐ ๐๐๐
See whatโs working in other countries with populations similar to Liberiaโs. Consider adapting and adopting those where necessary.
Acquire and share information with national and regional bodies concerned with the outbreak.
๐๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ โ๐๐ญ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐โ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐
Make food at least rice, the countryโs staple food, cheaper to get if not completely free.
Work with phone networks to make alert and mass notification system possible free of charge in case the president wants to send out public health communication and situational awareness
๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ
Public relations in this case must be provided like a prescription required for the health of the nation. Let there be a way for all health facilities and appropriate bodies to send daily updates to a central office which should then prepare the daily updates of the president.
Coordination is key: you cannot have the media saying the 7th Covid-19 case was an expatriate but then the government says it was the assistant public works minister.
Let the president provide the update. Politics aside, this will be more reassuring.
DO NOT UNDER-REPORT
