Rak Media Group leads the way in fight against coronavirus

In times of a crisis, it behoves citizens of a country to stick together. Coronavirus is a monster and we have to act in unison as a nation to combat it. We must walk the talk together to avert what is obviously the world’s biggest health and crisis since the 1933 Great Depression. South Sudan will not bespared.

The response by South Sudanese people to the challenge posed by the novel coronavirus looked initially indifferent. In public and private spaces, it looked like the country had resigned itself to the fear that the disease would ravage us. Well, the threat is still there.

There was and there is still concern that it was (is) going to be difficult to deal with the virus that has already killed nearly 140,000 people in the world and infected approximately two million.

South Sudan’s fragile health sector cannot deal with threat of COVID-19. What with the country still reeling from a difficult recent past! Even countries with the most modern health care infrastructure have caved in to the rampaging disease.

And here is where there is hope for this country: its resilient people! Since the government banned public meetings that cover sports and religion, suspended schools and colleges, banned non-essential business-related activities, there have been lamentations about the move.

It is understandable because most South Sudanese depend on daily earnings to meet basic needs like food, shelter and clothing. In big towns, the situation is even dire for the ordinary people. Life is at a standstill.

As the government grapples with this monumental challenge after the first confirmed cases of coronavirus, ordinary citizens and private companies offer a ray of hope; they have heeded the call to roll back the disease collectively. More can still be done.

Three things have happened in the past week. Through the High-Level Taskforce on CoVid-19, the government has enhanced its messaging to control the spread of the disease. The second is the formation an advocacy group by volunteers to augment the government’s effort.

Third, of the efforts by private companies, the six-day campaign by the Rak Media Group scores big. Beyond amplifying the government’s safety messages, Rak Media Group has taken a giant leap forward. It has embarked on mass production of face masks, which comes as a big relief to the government and populace because, hitherto, the available stocks were imported. There were questions about the quality and safety of the imported masks. The citizenry gave them a wide berth.

With the demand for face masks worldwide at astronomical levels there is no better social responsibility a private citizen or company can take to save millions of lives.

The lead taken by Rak Media Group should be emulated by other companies because the safety and health of the population assured them of business. A business makes sense only when it has consumers. And Rak Media Group, cognisant of this altruism, it mooted the campaign and the face mask production exercise.

Business can be rebuilt from the ruins of a pandemic. Life can never be repaired because death is a finality. Well done Rak Media Group!