In Liberia capital Monrovia, residents down play coronavirus lockdown

People in the Liberian capital, Monrovia are downplaying the country’s three-week State of Emergency declaration and lockdown imposed by the government to help fight COVID-19.

While the government is keen to beat down the spread, misinformation is taking the better side of it according to reports from the West African country.

A Reuters report said confusion characterized much of the situation across the capital Monrovia, a city of more than 1 million people, with many having heard, erroneously, via social media that the government had ordered a 3 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew rather than a full lockdown.

Many residents had voiced anger in the run-up to the lockdown ordered by President George Weah, which they said would do more harm than good in a country where more than half the population lives in poverty.

But for Joseph Yah, a Monrovia; “Well it is not a lockdown, but I don’t know the name. I don’t know if it is obstruction of movement. Even if it was a lockdown, according to English, lockdown, that we all should have sat at the house.”

Benetta Doe, another resident stressed: “I don’t really know because he said it is a lockdown. Then he said that you can move up to 3:00 p.m. So, I don’t’ understand.”

Komassa Dorbor for her part wondered if the government had considered the economic implications of the move: “How are we supposed to do our normal business. We need to go out to do things for ourselves. We need to even go into the market.”

The country hit by back-to-back civil wars from 1989 to 2003, dragged in the Ebola crisis between 2014-16 is now doing all it takes to beat COVID-19. Liberia’s coronavirus tallies as of April 13 stood at 50 cases with five deaths and three recoveries.