Physical distancing is still far from the minds of shoppers and commuters in Freetown

Stom Koroma: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 3 April 2020:

The streets of Freetown are busy this morning. Everybody is rushing either to go to the banks to withdraw cash, supermarket to buy provisions, bus station to travel or local market for foodstuffs.

The prices of food items have risen like a rocket, traders are charging twice the price for most food commodities even when the government has called for a normalization of prices.

Banks are overwhelmed, supermarkets are congested, business places are overcrowded, bus stations are jam-packed, people are moving up and down like dumps day, just to get something in preparation for the three days lockdown which starts on Sunday. (Photo: Freetown bus station). 

Sierra Leone is a country where most of its citizens are not only poor but very poor. Most of them survive on a day to day basis. Some get their daily bread from the items or things they sell every day. So, not being able to trade for a day, literally means no food on the table.

With the lockdown drawing closer, there is fear that most people would go to bed with little or no food to eat.

It is still not clear whether the government will support the homeless and poor people with food items during the lockdown.

The country has so far recorded two  cases of COVID-19. With contact tracing being pivotal at this moment, the government has declared a three days lockdown throughout the country starting on Sunday, April 5th.

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