Fighting the Coronavirus: the benefit of second generation combatants.

By: Ibrahim Jalloh - Jallomy ✍️

The Ebola virus ended about five years ago. It was a moment of agony with undescribable loss to Sierra Leone. As we counted the loss, we noted very useful lessons learned. One of such lessons is the the effectiveness of the weapon of resilience. Another lesson is the culture of standing together and fighting together in the face of the common enemy. Whenever Sierra Leone is in lethal crisis, the citizens will disengage from predatory tribal, regional and Political ties and submit to the national cause. 

Today, the Coronavirus is here with shocking outcomes. The entire response efforts are benefiting from from an abundant political will, a reliable and tested instutional memory, a conspicuous national mindset in fighting viral diseases, a responsive international development partners' network and inherited response structures from the predecessor of the Coronavirus, the Ebola. On the flip side, we stand to lose on account of the insatiability of a group of Sierra Leoneans desperately seeking to make political capital out of the national crisis. We also note the limited enforcement and compliance efforts by the security sector and the citizenry. Evidently, key national stakeholders conspicuously disengage from the response efforts

But what is really new in the Coronavirus in terms of definition and description of safety regulations? I vouch that the only notable differences are the use of facemask and the ban on congregational prayers.

As stated earlier, Sierra Leone is a second generation combatant country. The current response structures are replicated. The response players at the national and district levels are replicated. The response methodology, with justifiable review, is largely replicated. 

The Coronavirus cannot swallow the country if we leverage on our past experience. A case in point is Bombali district. The District Council Chairman fought the Ebola and today he is fighting the Coronavirus in the same capacity as Chairman. The Mayor of Makeni city was part of the response efforts of the Ebola and today she is integral to the response efforts of the Coronavirus. The EOC District Coordinator for Bombali was part of the social Mobilization Team in the days of the Ebola, today he is leading the response efforts in Bombali.

It is compelling to think that we have all it takes to subdue the Coronavirus in record time.

Coronavirus is real and here. We must fight together to relegate the scourge to the dustbin of history.