THE SPIKE IN COVID-19 infections in the country has caused an alarm in the public, with the Liberian people calling on the government to take prompt and adequate measures to curb the spread of the disease, particularly calling for a reemphasizing of COVID-19 preventive measures. “With six hundred and fifty (650) confirmed cases and thirty-four (34) deaths, the importance of safeguarding against this deadly disease cannot be overly emphasized,” the Coalition for Transparency and Accountability in Education (COTAE) observed concerning the situation. “Liberia cannot afford to once again endure a scourge as we did in 2014 with the Ebola Virus Disease.”
COTAE BELIEVES THAT part of the problem for the rise in COVID-19 cases is because government’s COVID-19 response has not been inclusive enough. “An inclusive response, as demanded by civil society from the onset, would have prevented the current surge we are experiencing in communities. Meaningful involvement of all partners would have removed any cloud of suspicion from response efforts and further strengthen approaches, including those related to the feeding program, case tracking, curfew etc. Also, a broader response would have relied on the expertise, strengths, and unique capacities of each stakeholder, including those versed in community entry, social mobilization, awareness creation, transparency and accountability, human rights, etc.”
THE CIVIL SOCIETY organization is therefore recommending to the government that civil society organizations be accorded the full respect and given the space to operate, as they play vital roles in creating awareness, providing valuable inputs to government as well as independent monitoring and reporting on key trends and decision-making processes around the fight; that COVID-19 resources be effectively managed and accounted for to the public. “All donations and resources received must be timely communicated to the public, in addition to report of funds already disbursed for various activities and processes”; that government does more to increase citizens’ confidence in its response efforts. “From all indications, the current poor state of the fight against COVID-19 and limited citizens’ compliance with health protocols can be attributed to poor coordination, limited citizens’ active involvement in key processes and limited trust resulting from excesses of some key players”; that the Ministry of Education’s plan to reopen school for 12th graders involve a thorough monitoring component that ensures that schools are abiding by all protocols set out in the plan, including full compliance with safety measures announced by authorities.