PHOTO: Pres. Weah with Mask not covering his nose and mouth last week @ ELWA Junction
By Our Staff Writer
Despite an Executive Mansion promise that President George Weah will be tested for COVID-19, after two of his top cabinet Ministers came down with the virus, Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Francis Kateh has said there is no need for the President to be tested.
Dr. Kateh is quoted by the local Inquirer newspaper in Monrovia as saying on Monday, May 4, 2020, that this is based on the Health authority’s investigation and observation.
Presidential Press Secretary Solo Kelgbeh admitted last week that the Liberian leader has not been tested for COVID-19 but that the test would be conducted at a later date.
The Executive Mansion’s statement came after Social Media spectulations that President Weah had been tested positive for COVID-19, thus prompting mounting calls from citizens for him to do his COVID19 test, after both Justice Minister Cllr. Frank Musah Dean and Information Minister Lenn Eugene Nagbe were tested positive and are currently admitted at the 14 Military Hospital outside Monrovia.
But speaking at the at the Ministry of Health and National Public Health Institute of Liberia regular COVID19 update in Congo Town over the weekend, Dr. Kateh said that whenever they have a confirmed case, the first thing they normally do is case investigation, which will later lead them to their next action of operation.
According to the country Chief Medical Officer, in their case investigation process, there are several things they always take into consideration, ranging from the seating capacity of individuals, to know where they were seated or whether social distancing were observed by them while in a meeting or conference.
He indicated that looking at where the confirmed case was, they can easily determine what the probability is for those that may had an active contact or the probability that they might be infected.
So if those things are measured, then the probability could be very low and when you are low contact, there is no need to run a test on you, according to the Inquirer.
Stats from the National Public Health Institute (NPHIL) also puts the number of confirmed cases at 141, i.e. those COVID-19 positive, three of whom are top officials of President Weah’s government—including his Justice and Information Ministers.
Weah has been in close contact with these individuals a short time before they were tested positive. And thus COVID-19 health protocol suggests that such a person must be among their contacts and followed by the Coronavirus health team.
In line with the COVID-19 regime, such a contact must in self-isolation or quarantined and tested, this the Executive Mansion confirmed has not been done so far. Following the media speculation that the President has been tested positive, Press Secretary Solo Kelbeh said there was no iota of truth in it, but the President has not been tested…will take the virus test but when he did not say.
However, Dr. Kateh noted that though you may be at risk, but will be advice that if you became to have some signs and symptoms of the virus, then at that point, you can make an immediate call for your test to be run and subsequently treated.
“So from all indication and our investigation we have done, there is no need for the President to do any test, but if he thinks that it will be necessary for him to do so, then that definitely his choice,” Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer is quoted as saying.
“So base on our investigation and other location, the probability that the President could be at risk is minimum, but when he ask, we will run his test, ”Dr. Kateh added.
Dr. Kateh explained further that based on their initial test run on specific individuals, if they had getting a confirmed case, it then could have move their investigation to another level, as well as determine those that they could consider either contacts, and place in high risk, at which time it will now be mandatory to do test.
He then stated: “As it stands, we don’t see that and so if the President want to come over that is fine and we will do that base on what we gathered, we don’t think the he is in danger or at any risk for now.”
Within 48 hours after wild speculation on Social Media that he was tested positive for Coronavirus and subsequent denial by the Executive Mansion, President George Manneh Weah on Thursday, April 30, 2020 appeared in public, failing to cover his nose and mouth, prompting outrage by some citizens on Social Media.
The Liberian leader did wear a nosemask but it didn’t cover his nose and mouth, as he spoke with the state security officers in relatively close proximity. This is evidenced by photos from the occasion, something that has begun to spark serious public criticisms.
In an apparent attempt to tell the Liberian public that he’s up and well, the Liberian leader showed up after in public after some weeks at the joint security check point at the ELWA junction in the Monrovia suburb of Paynesville and handed white envelopes to joint security officers there. The content of the envelopes was not disclosed, but they are believed to contain cash and the President has done the gesture to boost the morale of the security officers, who he described as frontliners in the fight against the killer virus, which has so far claimed 16 lives (as at April 30, 2020).
Both on Social Media and local radios, many citizens have strongly criticized President Weah for not setting good example, in the absence of submitting himself to be tested for the COVID-19 killer virus.
According to them, leaders set examples. Leaders show responsibility. Responsibility, when extracted from leadership, is just being a boss.
Beyond being exposed to Coronavirus, the president just risked people’s lives by this pretense. He isn’t even wearing the nose mask rightly. This sends a very wrong message about the much heralded compulsory wearing of face- and nose masks in public.”
One analyst says President Weah’s action not to cover his nose and mouth at the ELWA junction security checkpoint on Thursday puts him under further pressure to fast track his COVID-19 test.
Samuka Konneh, a prominent Liberian media development posted on Facebook April 30, 2020:
“Here is our president NOT wearing his masks. YES, not wearing the masks properly is NOT wearing it at all. What Pres. Weah did today was NOTHING short of saying “it’s okay. Even if you exposed by coming in contact with Coronavirus patients, it’s just fine to flout public safety guidelines of reporting for a quarantine. It’s okay. Just refuse to report yourself, go about your business including improperly wearing your face or nose-masks in the public. To hell with public health protocol. It’s okay. The ruled were made by people. It’s okay to flout them.”