Sierra Leone Telegraph: 02 September 2021:
Owners of bars, restaurants, clubs and hotels in Freetown, met with Ministry of Tourism and the National Corona Virus Emergency Response Centre (NaCOVERC) officials in Aberdeen, Freetown, where they discussed the impact of the pandemic on the tourism sector and leisure businesses.
They also spoke about the way forward regarding the implementation of COVID-19 enhanced prevention measures by businesses.
It is estimated that Sierra Leone’s tourism and leisure sector is losing millions of dollars every year since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, as well as putting thousands of people out of work across the country.
Spokesperson for NaCOVERC, Solomon Jamiru said that the Pandemic is now taking a different turn, making life more difficult for most people. He said that as the fight against the virus continues, the key decision to scale down restrictions must be informed by the epidemiological data.
He told leisure business owners that as the third wave of the virus continues to strike, the priority of the government is to protect the lives of its citizens and that restrictions on entertainment and the hospitality sector will continue to be in force.
But he called on the sector leaders to bring forward proposals to NaCOVERC and other stakeholders outlining workable options for the safe resumption of activities in the sector, as he assured them that the government is ready to listen and take action to open up the sector.
He said that government itself wants to see resumption of normal business operations but will not compromise public health.
The only ultimate protection against the virus he said is vaccination. To this end, he encouraged vaccination of everyone in the sector.
Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Memunatu Pratt noted that COVID-19 has ravaged the hospitality sector but informed the sector leaders that they are determined to minimize impact by taking the necessary precautions.
She encouraged and appealed to all in the sector to take the vaccine and raise awareness about the importance of vaccination.
Sector leaders pleaded with the Tourism Ministry and NaCOVERC to increase sensitization on the importance of vaccination and dispel negative myths and propaganda which they said are hindering uptake.
Thanks Mr Wiecha, I really appreciate your efforts in trying to convince me to buy into the outlandish and some times far fetched ideas that are peddled in the eco-chamber of internet websites, that looks and feels the work of the high priest of science -fiction world, trying to preach to the converted with the knowledge they are safe from covid19, because they and their family members have already took the vaccine,but admitting that in public is not good for business Unfortunately, your sales pitch have fallen flat on its face.I trust my judgement more than experts. Sometimes you go for a medical check up and tell your General practitioner, what your body is telling you. But been certified as experts, they diagnosed you with a different aliment, and they apologise only when you become seriously sick,for missing the diagnosis in the first. The discovery of the delta virus and how easily it is transmissible, have dealt a mortal blow to your argument about the dangers of taking the covid19 vaccine.
Even some the millions practicing covid19 deniers that were sitting on the fence, I suspect are looking on both sides to see which way the wind is blowing before they jump.If this was a game of football, the covid19 deniers team are losing the game. They have come on the pitch totally unprepared.They have turned up with five players because the rest of the team is isolating. But for the unsuspecting captives of brainwashing, it had for them to fantom to believe anything else, least the false prophets of Covid19 put a course on them. Is all well and good to refer me to the link, to no doubt to this two distinguished Doctors, Karina Reiss and Dr Suchrit Bhakdi, but sometimes I wonder whether this doctors, whatever their field of study or are expert , are capable of making a a wise judgement for themselves, never mind the rest of humanity. In any profession, you will find the ones that swim against the tide. The outliers.
Perhaps Sierra Leone have one of the most higly educated men and women in any government around the World,majority are carrying doctorates degrees, but sufice to say they either don’t know their profession, or they are just one of the many revolving doors of politicians that have milked Sierra Leone dry. As the famous Chinese leader once said, ‘He don’t care whether the cat is black or white, as long as it can catch a mouse ” If this two doctors can provide us with an alternative to the vaccine, and stop people dying or hospitalised, I might just reconsider my positions. Mind you I have took my vaccine. So for me is too late. I understand your position and the many millions of covid19 deniers out there. The unforgivable sin will be in your case trying to convince others, to join the bandwagon of covid19 deniers. Already the wheels in that wangon is coming off slowly. Maybe for some they have had their light bulb moment.
Dear mr. jalloh, i accept your position and shall stop trying to convince you. it’s your decision. my only advise, please look a little bit deeper behind this corona pandemic, what happened more than 20 years ago, who is the winner and what are the effects of our democratic liberty rights. be sure it will be not as before.
An experimental vaccine. The pharma companies bear no indemnity. A vaccine that has the potential to kill. No thanks
Mr Riehard Wiecha, good to hear your perspective on the covid19 vaccination programmes.I suppose your position you took is rigid and I respect that.My only concerns you have offered no alternative argument that makes my argument in support of taking the covid19 vaccine redundant.You are residing in a world where truth, and facts are held up like dirty words. If I take one strand of your argument about autopsy, have you heard about social distancing? Or families not allowed to give their loved ones during the hight of this pandemic, a last goodbye because of the covid19 restrictions? Or the number of people that are allowed to your wedding? So you must be pretty sure of yourself as a medical doctor to perform an autopsy on a dead covid19 person. Just like Ebola no one wants to come in contact with you. Something to be aviod at any cost. To me your rebuttals on this vexed question of whether to take the covid19 vaccine or not, is sounding bit hallow, and frankly like deadwood in water.
Deadwood in the water can dirvert the flow of the river, and reduce the flow of its currents, but just like the vaccination programmes, it won’t stop it continuation. I wish you can give us an unambiguous answer, so we can all sing hallelujah, we are free from this once in a generation pandemic. Now some of us that took the vaccine are content to be the Guinea pigs, and we unashamedly made the rigth decision for the good of humanity. Spare a thought for the first young volunteers of the covid19 vaccine during its early stages of research and development, before it was approved for mass use, what do say to such people? Stupid, Selfish, or selflessness . I certainly think selflessness is the perfect discriptoin that befit them. Those young volunteers are the unsung heroes of the world . Because at that stage no one knew the out come. They might have ended up dead, or in a vegetative state or if I was to be a conspiracy theorist, turned to a zombie . For the record, I don’t trust the World Health organisation, or their pronouncements on the issue of Covid19, it origin and why two years on with more than four million people dead, we still don’t know the origin, or how the virus started.
When the Ebola out break happened in Guinea, affecting Sierra Leone, and Liberia, the World Health organisation was quick to identify the zero patient and how the Ebola out break transmission from Bats to humans came to be. With covid19 there were mixed messages, leaving us none the wiser. Maybe if Covid19 have orginated from Africa, the disease would have had less impact as it did to the rest of the world .The west would come down on such unfortunate African country demanding answers like a run away train, or worst invade and demand answers. The whole thing is shuddered in secret, but what I call the open secret continues on its destructive path. leaving many deaths in its wake and damaging the livelihoods of billions of people. It might sound bit dramatic, but those are facts not a fairly tales, you can take my word for it. Not placing my trust on the World Health organisation doesn’t in any way qualify me as a conspiracy theorist far from it. I rather think for my self and go with my gut instincts and weigh the evidence in front of me before I make the decisions that affect my life.
Hello Mr. Jalloh, it is very difficult to bring all the alternative arguments on this forum. Here now I like to give only 2 links for you:
-“corona unmasked” from Dr. Karina Reiss and Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi
– “corona-ausschuss.de”
NACOVERC is right in stating the bloody obvious. Vaccine deniers are all over the world, wedded in conspiracy theorist, and buttress by Youtubers, and key board Facebook merchants of deaths that make a living out of others fears and misery. The idea that we will see the back end of this covid19 virus, is not going to happen anytime soon . Some people are still holding out. They will not take the covid19 vaccine under any circumstances.Because it was developed in hast. Others have underlining issues which prevent them from taking the vaccine. But the ones with no excuses but wedded in conspiracy theorist, haven’t offered us an alternative view on how to tackle this virus that have so far killed more than four million people around the world. Maybe we should wait for an other ten years before we take the well researched and developed vaccine. Given the rate of people that have died since the outbreak at the back end of 2019, we will then be looking at a Conservative estimated figures of death to hundred million people.
Some of this people especially in the United States and Europe, are comparing taking the vaccine to the post apocalyptic thriller based on a 1954 novel by Richard Matheson Iam a legend, starring Will Smith, in his 2007 blockbuster. In which some of the characters in the film were given a vaccine and they tured to Zombies. When I read that, I can’t help but think I am now waiting for my transformation to a Sierra Leonean Zombies, because I have had my two jabs. Maybe we just have to learn to live with covid19.The only other disease that infected the human race and killed many millions were small pox. In 1980, the World Health organisation declared the world have successfully managed through vaccination programmes to eradicate it from the face of the earth. Since then there has been no cases reported.
With other disease like AIDS, Cancer, Man flu, and many more others diseases that are with us today, the fight still goes on. But thanks to modern technology, we can safely say we have learnt to live and cope with this diseases. Now with Covid19, who ever came up with such a fancy name for a deadly disease. I think the politically corect PC BRIGADE have gone to an over drive. Mr Akiva Goldsman that wrote the screen play of Iam a legend was mystified to people comparing his film to covid19. “I made that up, is not true” I tbink those words should be drilled in the heads of this deniers.
Hello Mr. Jalloh, you are a big believer in the WHO, pharma-industry, governments …I’m not a vaccine denier but very sceptical about these in haste developed vaccines, their efforts and their side effects. there are a lot of critical
voices and protests worldwide. and be sure from these 4,5 mil. death since outbreak/discovery of covid 19 less than 50% died directly of this virus for all over the world only few autopsies have taken place.
On the other side the economy is going down, the hunger specially in poorer countries is growing and we all shall restricted in our liberty rights.