Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) News

There’s no right time to ease lockdown: Amref Health Africa

Amref Health Africa GCEO, Dr Dithinji Gitahi, says there is no right time for a country to ease lockdown restrictions.

His comments come after Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta announced a phased lifting of restrictions put in place to control the spread of the coronavirus on Monday.

This will include the reopening of places of worship and the resumption of both domestic and international flights.

Speaking to the Globe on Monday night, Gitahi says the virus does not necessarily go away during lockdown.

“There is really no right time (to ease lockdown). It’s been really a difficult choice for governments across the world, in Africa specifically, balancing lives and livelihoods and I think what now has happened is, you have to lockdown for a particular reason. The lockdown doesn’t mean the virus is going away, it just means you are more prepared for the eventuality when you open.”

“So I get the President’s decision to open, but he was very clear that now the responsibility now shifts to the individuals because civil responsibility is voluntary. It’s for people to now take this into their own hands and know how to protect the ones they love, so there is no right time, the right time is when the country feels they have a certain level of preparedness and the President did say, it’s not 100% but it’s adequate to take the risk,” says Gitahi.

Below is the full interview:

Article first published on sabcnews.com 

Amref Health Africa

Amref Health Africa teams up with African communities to create lasting health change.

Recent Posts

Empowering Frontline Heroes: A New Era for Community Healthcare

By Lusayo Banda, Communications Manager-Amref Health Africa Malawi For over a decade, Paul Chakamba has…

3 days ago

Climate Change Grants For Africa Is A Good First Step. But We Must Do More

Authors: Desta Lakew, Group Director, Partnerships and External Affairs, Amref Health Africa; and Alvin Tofler Munyasia,…

3 days ago

Amplifying the Global South’s Voice on Climate Finance at COP29

On the sidelines of the 2024 UN Climate Conference (COP29), Amref Health Africa and the…

1 week ago

COP29: African Countries Must Wake Up from ‘Distributed Carbon Emission Guilt’ to People-Centered Climate Action

Global warming is no longer just an issue for the environment but a crisis of…

1 week ago

COP 29 and health: The basics

What is COP 29 and why is it important? COP (Conference of the Parties) is…

1 week ago

COP29 Co-Chairs Publish Draft Text On Climate Finance Goal During Third Day Of Conference

Co-Chairs publish draft text for the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), described as workable basis…

1 week ago