Having admitted to ICU and received all necessary medical attention, two fellow Ethiopians recently have died of COVID-19 infection. The infection and the mortality rates of this deadly virus are slowly on rise in Ethiopia. So far, the country has confirmed cases of over 40 people and hundreds have been quarantined for suspected case.
The government has been issuing various social distancing measures since it reported the first case of COVID-19 in the country.
Schools and all higher learning institutions have been closed down .Civil servants have been ordered to work from home except the essential ones. All public gatherings have been prohibited until further notice. Ethiopia has locked down border in response to COVID-19 possible outbreak. Almost all flights have been halted in a bid to minimize imported cases and those who have essential travels and deportees are being quarantined for 14 days.
A campaign raising awareness on coronavirus disease has been intensifying on various media outlets, but the general public on some occasions have not strictly followed the social distancing guidelines.
People are still paying homage to churches, mosques and worship places in droves despite the repeated warns of life and death consequences of large gathering in a given place as such conduction help the virus to spread swiftly.
Violating the social distancing measures, children are seen playing football and engaging various outdoor activities, people who should have stayed home are wandering on streets.
The hustle and bustle of market places across the country is still going on. In most instances, commuters are not keeping two -meter separation distance aside from overstaffing.
Therefore, it is high time to the government to make sure whether the social distancing guidelines are really being observed across the country or not. Ignoring social distancing instructions have profound economic, social and economic impacts on the country in the near future. Keeping social distancing is the best tool in containing COVID-19 and let’s all to implement carefully social–distancing guidelines to defeat coronavirus and to secure the future.
The Ethiopian Herald April 7/2020
