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Korea’s COVID-19 strategy is worth emulating
On Saturday, October 4, 2020, Ghana joined the Korean Embassy and the Korean community in Ghana to celebrate Korea’s National Foundation Day.
The day, is an occasion for Koreans to celebrate their successes in political, social and economic spheres, which dates back to 2333BC.
In spite of the country’s numerous achievements which culminated in the rapid economic development over the years, Korea’s journey towards the path of progress was rough and tough.
For several decades, Korea, like many other countries, fought wars and hunger and eventually overcame adversities in the form of natural disasters, plagues and pandemics.
The most known adversity that drew back the clock of progress was the Korean war which resulted in the deaths of more than three million people along with its concomitant famine and poverty.
Korea’s story encapsulates the fight for economic growth in the face of challenges for a low-income country that later turned into an economic powerhouse.
The Asian country’s meteoric rise to greatness did not happen overnight; theirs was a sterling demonstration of hard work and the desire to succeed.
In all this, leadership matters. And Korea’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic which continues to wreak havoc across the globe, is yet another good example of impressive leadership.
Today, Korea is used as a good example in the fight against COVID-19 by countries known to have efficient health systems.
They include the United States of America, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany and many others.
South Korea learned many lessons the hard way- by not having sufficient resources to cope with previous epidemics, notably the 2015 MERS outbreak. At the time, the Korean Centre for Disease Control (KDC), was the only institution authorised to do epidemiological testing.
Thankfully, today, with advancement in science, technology and research, Korea has become the envy of the world in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease.
When countries like the United States were recording case numbers in the millions with more than 212,000 COVID-19 related deaths, Korea is managing few numbers with less than 1,000 deaths.
Korea is fighting the virus with time tested scientific methods of aggressive testing, tracing and treatment.
One of such methods which has gained prominence is the drive-through testing.
If you roll up to a drive-through COVID-19 testing centre in South Korea, you might notice that safety procedures extend all the way to your car’s air conditioning. You will be advised to hit the recirculation button so that if you are sick, you keep the pathogens to yourself, in your car, and avoid infecting medical personnel doing the testing.
The test takes 10 minutes at most. Results are texted to you, usually the next day. And it’s free-paid for by the government.
Drive-through centres have helped South Korea to do some of the fastest, most-extensive testing of any country. And while nobody is claiming that South Korea has defeated the outbreak, experts credit the emphasis on testing with reducing case numbers and fatalities.
Although the country is not out of the woods, it is safe to say that it has cracked the back of the virus.
Korea has done remarkably well in stemming the tide and preventing the spread of the disease.
As the world races against time for a vaccine and ultimately a potential cure for the virus, Korea’s common sense approach to masking up in crowded places, observing social distancing protocol, as well as regular hand washing with soap also helped them in tackling the pandemic.
We are now learning that nose masks are more effective than a vaccine. Korea knew this long before now and took appropriate measures to enforce the law on wearing of masks.
This is the reason one is likely to see eight out of 10 Koreans wearing a mask in the sub-way, supermarkets and places of scenic interest.
Lessons for Ghana
Ghana and many other African countries have been largely beneficiaries of Korea’s benevolence, not forgetting millions of dollars in donations of personal protective equipment, transfer and deployment of technology and other interventions.
In his address on the National Foundation Day, the Korean Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Kim Sungsoo praised Ghana’s efforts in handling coronavirus.
He was right to a large extent. Needless to say, Ghana could not have been successful without the support of the Korean government.
The Korean Government, acting through the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and KOFIH had in the past few months donated medical supplies running into millions of dollars to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development to help contain the virus.
The support came in handy as many health facilities do not have enough personal protective equipment to cater for COVID-19 patients.
That is not all, Ghana is still a recipient of Korean scholarships.
By far, the Korean Government had in the past decade, implemented several projects in all regions of Ghana, in different sectors of the Ghanaian economy.
“Yes, the Koreans are our good friends, but the Korean Government is not Father Christmas, and it is time Ghana took its relationship with Korea a notch higher.”
When President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo declared Ghana Beyond Aid, he meant that Ghana was better placed to engage its partners on favourable trade deals and agreements.
The Ghana Beyond Aid agenda can only succeed if Ghana readjusted and recalibrated its relationship with western countries from aid to strong partnership.
No doubt, Ghana cannot be at par with Korea any time soon, but with the right mindset and good leadership, Ghana can become the Korea of Africa.
Korea deserves a pat on the back for being a leading light in the fight against the pandemic.
By Yasin Billy
The writer is a freelance journalist and the Executive Director of A Better Community for All
email: Billyslang@gmail.com
THE state of feeling rejected, could be a terrifying experience especially for those who have become used to fame. If not properly addressed, it could lead to depression and the consequences, could be disastrous.
When you are on top of your game in whatever profession you find yourself such that you become famous, a lot of people try to associate with you. The phone never ceases to ring and one is tempted to feel loved and very important.
When a disaster strikes and the fame or the money which was the source of the attraction fades away, the circle of friends and fans begin to shrink and the phone will start to stop ringing until the call stops voting completely.
You will be shocked at how people you considered friends, will no longer be calling you or pay casual visits as they used to. You will begin to notice that messages you leave after calling them and not getting a response are not replied to and that is when you begin to know who your true friends are.
One of the most popular movie stars was an actress called Sharon Stone. In an interview with one of the media houses that was published, she spoke about how people who should have come around to encourage her in her moment of depression, shunned her. The calls stopped coming.
This is what the Bible admonishes that the arm of flesh will fail you and therefore we should put our trust in God. It could be a very frightening experience and can easily lead to depression.
Human nature being what it is, people will want to get close if things are okay. Everybody wants to associate themselves with interesting things, famous people, rich people etc for mainly selfish reasons.
We need to develop the habit of putting our trust in God and relying less on human beings. The lesson we have to take along in life is that, no one marries his or her enemy so how come people who took vows that they will love each other become so hostile to each other that they want to go their separate ways in life? Such is the reality of life.
It is therefore prudent for people to recognise that, life is full of uncertainties and so there is the need to prepare your mind for uncertainties so that when they occur, they do not disorganise your mental sanity.
A lot of people have experienced situations where people who they could have sworn will never betray their trust have disappointed them when they were through challenging moments.
If there is one thing famous people should desire, it should be the ability to identify who are true friends are. Countless stories abound regarding incidence of celebrities who have lost their shine and their wives divorcing them soon after.
It is sometimes useful as a famous or rich person to sign a prenuptial agreement before marriage to safeguard or protect yourself from any future unpleasant surprises.
People can be very pretentious these days, it goes both ways. There is this real life story where a man married a divorced wealthy woman and convinced her to sell her house so they could build a new one together, with the excuse that people are gossiping that he is being housed by a woman.
The woman agreed and they put up a new building. After a few years the man asked for a divorce, only for the woman to realise that the land on which the building was situated, was bought in the man’s name.
This can drive a person insane, if you are not mentally tough and this happens to you. When people hear that you are homeless, a lot of your so-called friends will stop calling, so that you do not become a burden on them.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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‘But, er …. I don’t even know your name’.
‘Paul. Paul Allotey. I’m Sarah, by the way. Paul, why don’t you leave me here, since this is the last important thing I’m doing today’.
‘Okay. Now Sarah. I was just thinking. You will be here at the cafe for about an hour. By then it will be about twelve thirty. Then, you would be thinking of buying yourself some lunch, to eat here or to take home. So if you would please allow me, I will take you to one of the nicest eating places in town, and after you have sorted that one out, then I can drop you home. Just that one errand, then I won’t bother you again’.
‘You are not bothering me at all. You are being very kind to me. And I just realised you are a mind reader too. The last item on my agenda was lunch’.
‘I’m so glad I appeared at your doorstep, just in time’.
‘Okay. Now Paul, since you say the cafe is a comfortable place, let’s go in together, and you can do your work while I get my application done’.
‘Okay, Sarah. Thanks. Let’s go’.
We got back in the car at eleven forty-five.
‘So where are we going, Paul?’
‘To Royalty restaurant. It’s a twenty minute drive away’.
‘So, do you enjoy your job?’
‘Most certainly. I won’t change it, not even to be President. And am I right to say that you are preparing to enter the university?’
‘That’s my plan. I hope it works’.
‘It will, if you are determined, and disciplined. You look very much like a disciplined person’.
‘Thank you very much’.
We arrived at Royalty in twenty-five minutes, ‘You are joining me for lunch, Paul’.
‘Thanks for the honour, Sarah. But the bill is on me’.
‘Aren’t you taking on too much for one day?’
‘I never do anything that is bigger than me, Sarah’.
Over the next hour and a half, we discussed fashion, local and international politics, and sports, as we ate and relaxed. Finally, he drove me to the shop.
‘I will never forget you, Paul’.
‘I’m glad to have been helpful. But if you don’t mind, I’ll say it again, your husband is extremely lucky. You are really beautiful’.
‘Thanks again. But do you mind if I call you sometime in the future?’
‘Certainly not. Let me write it here. I will not ask for your number, for obvious reasons. But I will be looking forward to hearing from you. And hopefully, I will see you next month, when I call to drop your bill’.
‘Okay Paul. See you then’. What a lovely day, I said to myself as I opened the front door. I closed the shop and got home by seven. I went straight to the bedroom, stood in the mirror and took a good look at myself. ‘You are a very beautiful woman, Sarah. Never forget that’. I will not forget that, again.
Over the next several weeks, Martin and I had very little to do with each other. In the morning he ate his breakfast and after a shabby ‘I’m going’, he left. He came home around eight at the earliest, ate his dinner and, already soaked in beer, went off to sleep.
He spent the greater part of the weekends at the club house with his friends, playing tennis and partying. My mind was focused on furthering my education, so I didn’t complain to him, and didn’t bother to inform my parents about what was happening. I had decided that I would only take action if he lifted his hand against me again. I spent my free time reading all manner of interesting stuff on the internet, and chatting with my sister on WhatsApp.
One evening, he came home at about eight, rushed to the bedroom and rushed out. An envelope, obviously containing money, dropped out of his pocket, and I picked it up and followed him. I was going to call him and give it to him, but I noticed that there was a young woman in the car, so I went back in, counted it and put it in a drawer in the hall. He came back after some ten minutes.
‘Excuse me, I dropped an envelope containing money. You must have seen it’.
‘Yes, I saw it. Actually, I followed you, and was about to call you and hand it over to you when I realised that there was a woman in the car, so I came back in. I counted it. One thousand cedis.
‘Well let me have it. I have to be going’.
‘I will let you have it if you will tell me who the woman in the car is, and why you are going to give her that amount of money’.
‘Listen, if you waste my time, I will teach you a lesson you will never forget. Give me the money now!’
‘Here’s what we will do, Martin. I know you will give money to her anyway, so I will give it to you, if you will withdraw the threat you just issued. But I want you to know that I will be taking some steps from tomorrow. Things are getting out of hand’.
‘Okay, I’m sorry I threatened you. Can you please give me the money’. I handed it over to him, and he ran out’.
The following morning, I waited for him to finish having breakfast, and told him I wanted to have a word with him urgently.
‘You better be quick. You know I’m going to work’.
‘Well, I want to inform you that I will inform my parents, and your parents, about the situation in this house. As I said yesterday, things are getting out of hand. You spend most of your time drinking. You get drunk every evening, and through the weekend. And you are also spending your time and money on a prostitute’.
‘How dare you? One more stupid word from you …’
‘Am I lying, Martin? You have just started life, yet you are behaving like a rich, elderly man who has already seen his children through university, and can afford a life of fun. As I said, I’m going to inform our parents. Maybe your parents can straighten you out before it is too late’.
‘Look, we can talk this evening. It’s nothing like what you are saying’. He walked away, shocked.
That evening, I was expecting to have a meaningful discussion with him, but his mother called early in the evening to offer me some ‘advice’. Her son had called to say that certain developments at home were disturbing him so much that they were beginning to affect his work.
And, ‘as a loving mother to her daughter’, she was advising me to submit to my husband, and support him in prayer, and not ‘drive him from home’. Men would always be men, and she was telling me ‘from experience’ that no matter how much time Martin stayed away from home, he would always come home to me.
She had been a young wife before, so she understood the challenges I was facing. So I could be assured that if I followed her advice, all would be well. And, of course, she didn’t allow me to tell my side of the story.
Martin came home very late, and very drunk. And from the next morning, he carried on as before. With some hesitation, I called my dad and told him all that had gone on.
‘Well, my daughter. I’m not going to say “I told you so”. I was only trying to protect you. So here’s what we’ll do. Continue doing the best you can, and try not to give him any excuse to harm you, but if things continue to deteriorate, I will take you back.
A couple of days later, my cousin Dinah arrived in Accra from Brussels, having completed her medical course. With Martin’s agreement, I went to Koforidua and spent a couple of days. I spent most of the time chatting about her experiences in the US, but we also discussed my relationship with Martin, and she endorsed Dad’s decision to take action if Martin’s behaviour did not change after two weeks Elaine informed Mom and Dad. We endorsed Dad’s decision to take action if there was no change in two weeks.
Dinah returned with me to Takoradi. Her plan was to spend a couple of weeks, and return to Accra to be posted. I called Paul Allotey, and asked if he would meet her for lunch and, if possible, show her some interesting spots. Delighted, he suggested that we meet at Royalty the next day.
I told Martin about it, to remove any possibility of future disagreement over ‘going out with men’.
‘It’s fine with me’, he said, ‘if, of all the people who could show your sister round this town, you chose a borla man. Doesn’t that indicate the kind of person you are?’
‘ First of all, Martin’, I’ve spoken to him a few times, and he comes across as a decent guy, so I think it is rather unfortunate that you are writing him off when you don’t know him’.
By Ekow de Heer
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