Address to the Nation on Ebola Outbreak by His Excellency the President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, July 30, 2014.
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 Public Emergency to enable us
take a more robust approach to deal
with the Ebola outbreak.
In order to continue to take direct
control of the situation, I have
cancelled my trip to the US-Africa
Summit in the United States of
America. On Friday, I will be
travelling to Conakry, Guinea to meet
with my colleague Heads of State of
the Mano River Union to discuss our
sub-regional strategies to defeat the
disease.
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 Lungi International
Airport;
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, Sierra Leone is in a
great fight. We are a resilient people.
And we must not fail. The
sustainability of our actions for
prosperity depends on winning this
fight. Failure is not an option. We all
need to come together to win this
battle.
Thank you for listening and God Bless.
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