BY TAMRU REGASSA AND MENGISTEAB TESHOME
According to COVID-19 pandemic preparations and response, Ethiopia weekly bulletin confirms the Ethiopian Public health Institute (December 21 – 27, 2020). The number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in Ethiopia surpassed 120,000 while the number of COVID-19 related deaths surpassed 1,900. A total of 2,913 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 56 COVID-19 related deaths were reported during the WHO Epi-Week-52 bringing the total cases and death to 122,864 and 1,909 respectively. A total of 73,035 COVID-19 confirmed cases have been at Home Based Isolation and Care so far; 5,893 of these are enrolled in the WHO-Epi-Week-52. Out of a total of 310,286 contacts of COVID-19 confirmed cases, 1,709 contacts were identified during the WHO Epi-week-52. It is stated that stakeholders and sector offices need to be strengthened in advocating public adherence to public health and social measures to prevent and control COVID-19 pandemic.
This shows more efforts should be exerted to this point. Ministry of Health and the Inter-Religious Council of Ethiopia jointly called on the public to make the necessary precautions against COVID-19 in celebrating upcoming religious festivals.
Briefing the media yesterday State Minister of Health Serela Abdulahi said that to enhance public awareness towards the epidemic the Ministry has launched a six-month campaign which is based on precaution.
She underscored that the ministry has been working to implement the principle of No face mask, No service” stressing the need to keep up the proper utilization of face mask.
She disclosed that the ministry has finalized preparations to celebrate upcoming religious festivals in line with COVID-19 precaution. The ministry is also preparing to launch the utilization of standardized COVID vaccine, she added.
Kesis Tagay Tadele secretary of the council for his part said that the council often works to enable the public to celebrate the festivals in line with the government’s guidelines enacted to reduce the spread of the epidemic.
He noted that the council recommends religious fathers to advise their followers to wear face masks when attending religious services.
He recalled that in the past ten months the council has been playing a great role in halting the spread of the epidemic.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in his recent message noted that “As COVID-19 cases continue to surge and our intensive care units operate at maximum capacity, it is imperative that we do not lose sight of precautionary measures. Save your life; save someone else’s life and support our health workers by wearing a mask.”
According recent research wearing face mask practice was 70 percent but now 48, these scenarios should be changed and the campaign ‘No mask no service” could help in pushing fellow citizens to attach to the guidelines of the Ministry of health and WHO.
The Ethiopian Herald approached a resident of Addis Ababa Zeyinba Mohammed to share us on the practice of the communities’ usage of masks and she noted that as people begin to see more friends and family in this pandemic, they may face a new sort of social pressure – specifically, to wear or not to wear a mask during smaller, private gatherings.
But both loose enforcement as well as societal pressure is leading to down play. ‘We are witnessing though everyone should wear masks in public most people are not doing so, as the same time show willingness, in my view. It is high time to reenergize the public through ‘No mask and no service’ campaign.
According to her, most people have the knowledge but not behavioral change because we are witnessing communities that show responses to the calls. Most public and private offices are giving services compromising the guidelines, in my view stakeholders should supervise the performance in line with their effort to control the pandemic.
She further noted that, COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets and face masks could serve as barriers. We know respiratory droplets travel into the air when we cough, sneeze, talk, shout, or sing. These droplets can then land in the mouths or noses of people who are near to somebody or they may breathe these droplets in. Masks are a simple barrier to help prevent our respiratory droplets from reaching others.
While we wear a mask, we protect others as well as it is the notion we give to the others’ respect.
In my view masks work best when everyone wears one. It is we all should discharge our responsibilities to save our lives and love once in practical actions.
This piece writers would like to recommend the ‘no mask no service’ campaign should be strengthened in all states of public and private institutions before the pandemic comes out of control because studies show that masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth. We urge everyone to use it properly in public gathering as well as work places.
The Ethiopian herald January 14/2021
