As Liberia's prepares for total lockdown in coming days, health authorities here have gone to test their specimens for the novel coronavirus, aimed at rallying the public to report for mass testing.

The Minister of Health Doctor Wilhemina Jallah Sunday, 17 March led an arrayed of healthcare officials to the Samuel Keyon Doe Sports Stadium in Paynesville outside Monrovia for specimens test.

Doctor Jallah explains that the decision to lead an arrayed of health officials, including the Country Representative of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization Country Representative to Liberia, Doctor Peter Clement, Liberia's Chief Medical Officer Doctor Francis Kateh, and the head of the USAID Mission, among other is to encourage the public to come forth to give their specimens for testing.

Deputy Minister of Health and Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Kateh notes that it was very prudent to have begun the sample test with themselves rather than waiting on the public, adding, "Now that we have started this process, we want to call on our people to follow; with this, we will defeat this virus."

Meanwhile, the Country Representative of the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention Doctor Desmond Williams is optimistic that now that health officials have taken the lead, it is time for citizens to follow their leaders' footsteps.He emphasizes that government had made the pronouncement that people should have their samples taken for testing, and they deemed it necessary to key-start the process, so everyone should come out to do their test.