It is a hard truth now that Ethiopians, who are uniquely famous for socializing, are now forced to stay apart from one another and keep social distancing or else face rule of law. And that is for the sake of themselves and humanity in general.
Last week, the House of Peoples’ Representatives of Ethiopia declared a State of Emergency to prevent, to treat and minimize damages caused by COVID- 19, in line with article 93 of the Constitution.
The declaration has been considered to be the right decision of the government. As the aim is to save the lives of the citizens in particular and humanity in general, it is unlikely to find an individual who can be against the declaration.
Though it is slightly late, it is an appropriate measure to reduce the potential danger due to the pandemic.
The proclamation prohibits all meetings or gatherings. Religious and political meetings, as well as community gatherings, have been banned.
The social mourning-through a societal organization known as Idir; the societal organization of self-supporting in farming and other agricultural activities – debo; and even the societal banking system known as Ekub have all been banned due to the limit on the number of attendants: not more than four persons at a time.
Even under such a situation, the new rule dictates that the actors should maintain a physical distance of at least two meters apart.
Yet, taking Ethiopians unique culture into consideration, the law makes little room for conducting typical social gatherings such as funeral and other compulsory social services with the grant of permission from the relevant body.
More importantly, the responsible bodies for interpreting and implementing the rules ought to discharge their duties effectively for setting rules is one thing; implementing them is another.
As long as the citizens realize the benefits and the necessity of the prohibitions, they would be abiding by them without any resistance. Hence, the government has to communicate the entire details and significance of the rules.
In short, the declaration of the State of Emergency is unquestionably very proper. Implementing the rules and communicating their details to the entire citizens would be much more important. In order to benefit from its effective implementation, all must contribute their positive share.
The Ethiopian Herald April 14/2020
