VOINJAMA, Lofa – At an emergency coordination meeting among heads of government agencies in Lofa, Superintendent William Kamba has acknowledged that there has been an increase in crimes as the county joins the rest of Liberia in enforcing a stay home order to combat the Coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, April 27, leaders in the county held an hour-long meeting aimed at strengthening cooperation in the fight against COVID-19. Held at the William V.S. Tubman County Hall, the gathering brought together representatives of government ministries and agencies, civil society organizations, and security personnel.

On April 24, President George Weah extended a stay home order to all 15 counties, requiring all commercial activities to end by 3:00 p.m. each day. Superintendent Kamba said there had been an increase in criminal activities since the state of emergency began. Kamba said there were individuals impersonating members of the security sector and committing crimes across towns and villages in Lofa.

“Let there be no compromise for individuals of such,” he said. “They must be arrested and detained, for this lockdown is a time for people to stay at home, as of the planned time.”

The Liberia National Police’s deputy commander in Lofa, Henry Jaryan, asked that communities work with the security sector to eliminate the criminals.

“While you are at home or asleep, always use the police hotline as a medium of alerting the police if there is a robbery and crime ongoing in your community, and the police will intervene,” he said.

Jaryan also asked that members of the public avoid being in the streets after 3:00 p.m.

Another topic that was prevalent at the meeting was the decision of some religious leaders who were resisting the measures imposed by the state of emergency. Churches, mosques, and other large gatherings of over ten persons are now forbidden.

The chair of the Council of Churches in Lofa, James Korboi, said some clergymen were misinterpreting the messages being disseminated by the government about COVID-19.

“It is embarrassing for us as head of churches seeing some of our colleagues disrespecting [the] government’s mandate and forgetting to know that even the Holy Bible speaks of respect for [the] government,” Korboi said.

“But in the midst of all of these situations, we have been embarking on community awareness and educating our fellow Christians about COVID-19 preventive measures and what to do as a church.”

The chair of the traditional council, Wolobah Dorbor, called on religious leaders to stop calling the virus fake or demonic and abide by rules that all sectors of society were now following.

He noted the sacrifices the traditional community had made and called on religious leaders to do the same: “When the virus [broke out] in Liberia, we immediately put stop or halt to all forms of traditional activities and practices in the county, and even started creating awareness in nearby villages and towns. And if we can think in such direction, then what about you?”

Superintendent Kamba also advised all religious leaders to abide by the health protocols in place.

“COVID-19 is real, and as authorities in Lofa, we will not embrace the act of COVID-19 spreading in our beloved county. See right now, other counties are reporting cases of the virus, and Lofa has zero cases. Please, Lofians, stay at home,” Kamba pleaded.

The Lofa superintendent called for fines to be levied on people found violating the stay home order.

The corrections superintendent at the Voinjama Central Prison, Moses Saah, also attended the meeting, and his focus was on the safety of his prisoners. He noted that he had worked with the courts to reduce the number of inmates from 78 to 55. However, Saah called for donations of food and medical support for inmates at the prison.

Meanwhile, the assistant superintendent for development, Samuel Mulbah, said he was pleased about the enforcement of the state of emergency.

“I am confident that together, we can defeat the Coronavirus,” Mulbah said.

Featured photo by Kelvin Kollie