By Kemo Cham
President Julius Maada Bio has appointed Brig. (Rtd) Kellie Hassan Conteh as the Interim National Coordinator of the government’s Covid-19 response effort.
Conteh, who is the Minister of Defense, was named on Monday in a statement released by the Office of the President.
“Brigadier (Rtd) Conteh will lead a team of dedicated men and women who will pursue effective measures to prevent, protect and curtail the spread of the Coronavirus Disease in Sierra Leone,” the statement signed by the Secretary to the Presidential, Dr Julius F. Sandy, said.
State House did not give details of the composition of the national response team. But Politico understands that Kellie was expected to set up the team.
Currently, the Covid-19 response is being coordinated by a task force made up of the ministries of Health, Defense and Information.
When the announcement was made Sierra Leone had not recorded any case of the virus, and the government had been struggling to prevent it from spilling over into the country, in light of rising cases in neighboring countries.
But on Tuesday the government confirmed the first case of the virus.
President Julius Maada Bio himself made the announced in an emergency press conference at State House. He revealed that the index case, which he described as “imported”, was a 37-year old man who traveled from France via Brussels Airlines and arrived in the country on March 16, when he was placed in quarantine.
The man only showed signs and symptoms on the day he was up for discharge from quarantine when he was subjected to test.
The man has been admitted for treatment, the president added.
“Now every minute matters,” President Bio said as he urged Sierra Leoneans to be more vigilant as the country enters a new phase of the global coronavirus pandemic.
“The Government of Sierra Leone COVID-19 Response Team is now fully activated. As I have indicated, that team is led by Brig. (Rtd) Kellie Hassan Conteh, Minister of Defence. He will work to oversee and work with all sectors for a coherent national response to COVID-19. We strongly urge citizens to observe all hygiene and social distancing protocols,” Bi added.
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