By Ibrahim Turay
The coronavirus has not hit Sierra Leone yet, but our former colonial masters, Britain, announced that they are temporarily withdrawing a limited number of staff and their dependents from their High Commission in Freetown.
The reason for the withdrawal, according to the UK’s latest travel advice on Sierra Leone, is “The rapidly changing situation in Sierra Leone.”
This development has come as a surprise to many Sierra Leoneans for the fact that the coronavirus has still not entered the country. Sierra Leone is one of the countries to have successfully kept the world-wide pandemic at bay.
However, the removal of British personalities from Freetown may tend to be a signal that the virus is eminent in Sierra Leone.
This situation is becoming worrisome to many Sierra Leoneans who are of the opinion that the movement of these personals might be interpreted as a signal of Sierra Leone being a victim of the virus. Many are with the conviction that due to sophisticated technology, tracking and surveillance capabilities, Britain and the U.S.A in particular have the capacity to detect impending situations, before the host African nations even become aware of such situation.
According to reporter of the covenant newspaper the High Commission is reported to be closed on the 24th March 2020 yesterday, so no diplomatic staff is available for comment.
