Script
NARRATOR:
Attention farmers!
There are false rumours circulating that poultry and other animals can infect humans with COVID-19. This is not true! There is no evidence that any kind of animal can transmit COVID-19 to humans.
Human infections are caused by person-to-person contact or contact with contaminated surfaces.
You can stay safe by practising good sanitation on your farm and physical distancing, which means staying at least one metre away from any person not in your household or farm.
NARRATOR:
Drinking alcohol does NOT protect you against COVID-19!
Yes, the World Health Organization recommends using an alcohol-based hand rub or wipes to fight COVID-19. But no – DRINKING alcohol does NOT prevent or treat COVID-19.
In fact, frequent or excessive alcohol consumption can increase your risk of health problems, from cancer to liver damage.
HUSBAND:
I went to the pharmacy today and you won’t believe what I saw!
HUSBAND:
There were no antibiotics! All the shelves were empty! In fact, there’s none in the whole region. People must think they prevent COVID-19!
WIFE:
(GASPS) This is dangerous. If too many people buy them for the wrong reasons, what will happen to people who actually need them?
NARRATOR:
Antibiotics are NOT effective at preventing or treating COVID-19. Antibiotics don’t work against viruses, only bacteria. COVID-19 is a virus.
Don’t buy drugs that are not scientifically proven to treat COVID-19. If you do, the people who need them for other serious health problems won’t be able to find them.
PERSON #1:
My auntie is acting so strangely these days. You should see the things she is doing.
PERSON #1:
She’s going on and on about the coronavirus. She’s drinking lemon and baking soda, gargling with vinegar, boiling oranges and breathing in the steam … she says it keeps her safe.
PERSON #2:
That sounds like fake news to me. If it were that easy to prevent the coronavirus, surely it wouldn’t be such a big problem.
NARRATOR:
There are false rumours that some substances can cure or prevent infection with COVID-19. But according to the World Health Organization, there are no treatments or vaccines for the disease.
The best way to prevent the virus from spreading is to wash your hands frequently, maintain at least one metre distance between yourself and someone who is sneezing or coughing, avoid touching your face, and cover your mouth and nose with your elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze.
PERSON #1:
Wow, the sun is really scorching today!
PERSON #2:
Yeah, the dry season this year is unbearable.
PERSON #3:
(LAUGHING) But you know the good thing about this heat is that it will kill the coronavirus.
PERSON #1:
(LAUGHING) My friend, if that were true, there would be no coronavirus at all in Africa!
NARRATOR:
Exposing yourself to the sun or to temperatures higher than 25 degrees DOES NOT prevent COVID-19. Countries with hot weather have reported many cases of COVID-19. You can catch COVID-19 no matter how sunny or hot the weather is.
To protect yourself, make sure you clean your hands frequently and thoroughly and avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.
NARRATOR:
Taking a hot bath or using a hot hand dryer will NOT prevent you from catching COVID-19.
According to the World Health Organization, some remedies may help ease the symptoms of COVID-19. But there is no evidence that ANY current medicine or activity can prevent or cure the disease.
CHILD:
Yummmm … Mummy, this soup tastes nice today! What did you do?
MOTHER:
I added extra garlic. I heard that eating garlic will prevent us from getting the coronavirus. I’m putting it in everything, including your tea!
CHILD:
(SIPS TEA AND SPITS IT OUT) Yuck!
NARRATOR:
Eating garlic will NOT help prevent infection with COVID-19. Garlic is a healthy food that may help fight some diseases. But there is no evidence that eating garlic can protect people from COVID-19.
SFX:
SOUND OF MOSQUITO. SOUND OF HAND SLAP.
MAN:
Aha! As if malaria was not enough, now I have to worry about mosquitoes giving me coronavirus.
NARRATOR:
COVID-19 CANNOT be transmitted through mosquito bites. COVID-19 spreads through the droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose.
PERSON #1:
Hey look! I can hold my breath for more than 10 seconds. Doctors say that means I don’t have COVID-19.
PERSON #2:
Really? Let me try! (INHALES DEEPLY THEN STARTS COUGHING)
PERSON #3:
My friends! Are you trying to kill yourselves? Surely you know that a laboratory test is the only way to know for certain if you have COVID-19!
NARRATOR:
Don’t be fooled. Being able to hold your breath for 10 seconds or more without coughing or feeling discomfort DOES NOT mean you are free from COVID-19.
The World Health Organization advises people who think they might have COVID-19 to stay home and seek medical attention by calling their local health authority.
The ONLY way to confirm if you have the COVID-19 virus is with a laboratory test. You cannot confirm it with this breathing exercise – which could be dangerous!
NARRATOR:
The coronavirus is NOT a death sentence!
About 80% of people who are infected have only mild illnesses and fully recover. But they may face a different challenge – stigma. People may avoid those who have been infected, or say nasty things, or treat them badly.
This kind of stigma could even stop people from getting tested! Discriminating against recovered people needs to stop. Let’s look out for one another and protect everyone during these difficult times. We’re all in this together.
SFX:
COUGHING AND SNEEZING
NARRATOR:
COVID-19 is highly contagious! Do you know how it spreads?
People catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. It spreads through small droplets produced when infected people cough, sneeze, or exhale. These droplets can be inhaled by people nearby or they can land on nearby objects. When people inhale droplets or touch contaminated objects, then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth, they can be infected.
So protect yourself and others. Wear a mask in public, keep a distance of 1 metre away from others, and wash your hands as much as possible.
SFX:
COUGHING AND SNEEZING
NARRATOR:
Hear that? A common cough could now be a sign of something much more dangerous. COVID-19 is an infectious disease that affects the lungs. It’s spread when a healthy person comes into contact with droplets from an infected person’s eyes, nose, or mouth.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, always cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or a tissue when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of the used tissue immediately.
By following these rules, you can protect the people around you from COVID-19 and other viruses such as colds and the flu.
NARRATOR:
Are you a trader working in a market?
If you are, chances are that you come into contact with paper money and coins all day long. But money is dirty and can carry viruses like COVID-19.
So what can you do? Wear gloves when handling money and immediately wash your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds after touching money and goods. If possible, try to use mobile money transactions to avoid touching physical money.
NARRATOR:
Who is most at risk of getting the coronavirus?
It’s the family members of people who are infected and health care workers.
Why?
Because they have the most contact with people who are infected. But sometimes infected people do not have any symptoms.
That’s why it’s so important to protect yourself and others by wearing a face mask, regularly washing your hands with soap and water, and staying at least 1 metre away from others to avoid the spread of infection.
DAUGHTER:
Ma, I have to go to market today to sell the pineapple harvest.
MOTHER:
(WORRIED) Oh! I don’t like the thought of you being around so many other people during this coronavirus pandemic.
DAUGHTER:
I don’t either, but what can we do? Farming is our livelihood and the market is the only place to make money for food and other things.
MOTHER:
But how will you protect yourself? I don’t want you to get sick!
DAUGHTER:
I’m going to wear a mask all day. The moto king is only taking a few passengers at a time so that we can sit far apart. I’m also asking customers to pay with mobile money so that I don’t need to touch paper money or coins.
MOTHER:
What about washing your hands?
DAUGHTER:
I will wash my hands regularly using the tap at the market. I hear there is a new vendor selling soap and disinfectant so I will buy some of that to bring home to you and Daddy.
MOTHER:
Be very careful and stay safe so you can come home to me, my daughter.
PERSON #1:
(GROANING) The city has been on lockdown for so long.
PERSON #2:
Yes, people are definitely getting restless.
PERSON #1:
I’m thinking of going back to my village. I may as well spend some time with my family. My grandmother is getting very old now.
PERSON #2:
I don’t think that’s a good idea. You could bring the coronavirus back to the village and not even know it! The virus can live on surfaces – imagine how dirty the bus might be. And you know some people can have the virus without having any symptoms. It would be terrible to spread it to your family without realizing it. Think of your grandmother!
PERSON #1:
Ah, I guess you are right. We are all safer if we stay at home. Maybe I should call them on the phone instead.
PERSON #2:
I’m sure they will understand and appreciate that.
FATHER:
My son, when you were just a small child, a deadly disease called Ebola spread across West Africa. Many people lost their lives. Now, there is another deadly disease that is spreading, but this time it is even more serious.
SON:
What is the disease?
FATHER:
It is called coronavirus or COVID-19. It is spreading very quickly all around the world.
SON:
(SCARED) Are we all going to get sick?
FATHER:
Well, the best way to avoid getting sick is to stay home and limit physical contact with other people. That’s because the virus spreads between people when they cough or sneeze. So we must always wear masks, wash our hands regularly with soap and water, and avoid touching our eyes, nose, and mouth.
SON:
How long do we have to do this?
FATHER:
It’s hard to say. But we must pay attention to the news from local health authorities and the World Health Organization. The more people pay attention to safety precautions, the sooner our lives will return to normal.
PERSON 1:
The elders in our community are so wise.
PERSON 2:
I agree. We should be treated with more respect!
PERSON 1:
Well, one way to respect them is to take extra steps to keep them safe from coronavirus, which impacts older people more than younger people!
NARRATOR:
It’s important that we protect older people and everyone with health conditions like diabetes, heart problems, and cancer from the coronavirus.
The coronavirus can be deadly, so raise awareness and do everything you can to prevent it from spreading. If you or anyone in your household has a cough, difficulty breathing, or a sudden fever, even if your symptoms are mild, stay at home.
Don’t go to the market. Don’t go to town. And don’t visit other relatives. If your symptoms get worse, go to hospital for medical care.
Protect yourself and protect others by wearing a mask, keeping a physical distance of one metre from others, and washing your hands regularly.
Acknowledgements
Contributed by: Maxine Betteridge-Moes, freelance journalist and former Broadcaster Resources Advisor with FRI Ghana.
This resource is undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada.
