By Foday Moriba Conteh
As the country continues to record positive cases of the coronavirus, the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Information and Communications has on Saturday 18th April, 2020 in a release urged Sierra Leoneans to wear face cloth masks in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
It maintained that Sierra Leone as of Saturday 18th April, 2020 recorded four (4) new cases bringing the total number of positive confirmed cases of COVID-19 to 30, adding that the four new cases were in quarantine and are linked to previous cases.
The Release disclosed that currently, there is no death and all the 30 confirmed COVID-19 cases are being managed in isolation centers and they are all in stable condition further highlighting that the total number of persons quarantined is 532 and 1,012 have been discharged from quarantine.
The Ministry is encouraging members of the public to call 117 in cases of experiencing fever, tiredness and cough and further advised to wear cloth face masks in all public spaces including Government offices, hospitals, markets and transport services.
“All transport operators, drivers and riders must wear cloth masks. For information on cloth mask and how to use them correctly, visit www.dhse.gov.sl The Public is also advised to wash hands with soap and water frequently or use hand sanitizer; avoid touching one’s eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands; cough or sneeze into their upper arm or sleeve; and avoid close contact (arms stretched length) from others, especially in crowded areas and at social gatherings,” the Ministry cautioned.
It went further to encourage members of the public to take good care of their health to help protect against COVID-19 and urged parents to take their children for marklates and go to the hospital for Antenatal Care (ANC), safe delivery, malaria testing and treatment, and other regular treatments registering that the Hospital remains the safest place to go for health checks, treatment and care.
