Declaration Of Coronavirus As A Global Emergency

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) DECLARATION OF CORONA VIRUS AS GLOBAL EMERGENCY AND THE NEED FOR GHANA TO ACTIVATE NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND DISTRICT DISASTER MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES AND DISASTER RISKS REDUCTION PLATFORMS AS REQUIRED BY NADMO ACT 927 (2016)

The United Nations (UN) 2007 Report, defines a disaster as a serious disruption of the functioning of a community/ society causing widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected community to cope using its own resources. The World Health Organization (WHO) on the other hand states that disaster can either be disruption of human ecology that exceeds the capacity of the community to function normally or sudden ecologic phenomenon of sufficient magnitude to required external assistance. From the above global standard definitions of disasters, the 38 new deaths recorded in china within 24hrs, lack of vaccines, developed and developing countries evacuation of their citizens from china, major international airlines suspended services to china, closure of all academic institutions and some businesses, suspension of all types and levels of football activities including the top-tier Chinese super league, couple with China Health minister, Katsunobu Katu lamentation at Chinese Parliament were sufficient and necessary conditions to serve as early warning signals for declaration of global emergency on the pandemic coronavirus. For instance, the severity of coronavirus infestation has resulted in global evacuation of population at risks from china.

Again, British Airways, Lufthansa, and United Airlines have suspended their flights’ services to China. Mass blacklisting of China base flights is expected in the coming days as China Civil Aviation Authority had given approval to more charter flights for evacuation of overseas passengers. Notwithstanding the above, available statistics from China’s health Commission indicates that, the coronavirus which started in December 2019 with Wuhan as the outbreak’s epicentre confirmed cases rose from zero to 9,692 with more than 213 deaths recorded. Meanwhile, the coronavirus continues to record millions of suspected cases globally including Africa precisely Ivory Coast which shares direct borders with Ghana. Previously, the World Health Organization global and regional bodies downplayed mass media reports on the global severity and widespread of coronavirus until Michael Ryan, Head of the WHO Health Emergency Programme told the media in Geneva that the whole world needs to take action after warning all governments to be on alert. The World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva eventually declared the coronavirus as a global emergency on Thursday, January 30, 2020.

The World Health Organization action is timely for saving lives and resources of nations particularly Ghana and other African countries that are currently lacking coronavirus disaster recovery plans for effective humanitarian services such as free vaccines for mass vaccinations and permanent evacuation sites for quarantining of suspected and confirmed victims of the killer virus. The pre-disaster phase, emergency phase and post-disaster phase of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) disaster management cycle mandates Ghana to establish permanent evacuation sites for quarantining of suspected and confirmed victims of existing and emerging disease outbreaks including the recent killer coronavirus. To this end, the UNDP through the national disaster management organization (NAMDO) and Parliament have established National, Regional and District Disaster Management Committees and Disaster Risks Reduction Platforms under Ghana’s New Disaster Management Law (NADMO Act 927 of 2016). For the sake of humanity, impartiality, independence, neutrality, unity, universality and voluntary service which are some of the core values of the Swiss Redcrosss and Ghana Redcross society, the mass media, civil society groups, NGOs, corperate bodies should support the Ghana Redcross Society in Bono, Bono-East and Ahafo regions, financially and logistically for effective education and prevention of Coronavirus from entering Ghana since a suspected case was recorded in Cote d’Ivoire.

BY: IDDRISU NEINDOW BABA, REDCROSS DISASTER VOLUNTEER, GHANA.