Can We Curb Covid-19 From Spreading In Nigeria?

I was in a hospital today. I have made myself a face mask from an improvised material having watched countless videos on efforts by many countries on curbing the spread of Covid-19 and especially the video by Czech Republic on ‘Masks4All’. No doubt it was larger than a facemask.

The colour wasn’t outlandish neither was the size extra big. It was something I made from a faded light green material that is even lighter than the regular green coloured masks used in hospitals.

It was not sewed, just rubber band stapled to the material to hold it in place. If I have to leave the house to go out for anything I try covering my nose and mouth even though sometimes the nose may not be well covered because of the mask is not fitted. I do it because it is the right everyone should be doing now. I don’t have to wait until someone near me is reported t have gotten it. Should I get Covid-19 before I know that I need to guard against it?

 To my surprise in the hospital a very senior nurse in the facility was asking; “what happened to your face that made you wear that covering”. I told her I was guarding against Covid-19. I met four of them on duty. None of them had a face mask. These are people on duty where any kind of case may be rushed in. Do they know the kind of

cases they would be receiving each time they are at work? Is it when the case arrives that they are going to start wearing this personal protective equipment (PPE)?

I know masks are a scarce commodity now, but a nurse and all hospital personnel should be able to provide for themselves all necessary personal protective equipment for use during this Covid-19 pandemic.

Her next response baffled me. “How long are you going to keep wearing this? Are you not irritated wearing this? When will these protective measures stop?” Her colleague then added her own angle to it.

“I stopped using face mask because one day I wore it home and everyone in my yard were calling me corona virus and running away from me. They were isolating from me if I already have the disease. Now I don’t remember wearing it in the hospital anymore”

I see this as a soldier going to guard his post without a firearm. All health workers should be in the vanguard of the war against the pandemic. They should be able to tell people around them at home and at work the importance of self protection. The rule of Hand washing with soap.

    Use of alcohol based sanitizer.

    No hand shaking.

    No touching of the face

 If possible clean every public surface like ATM machine, door handles before use    Wearing face masks that covers ones nose and mouth.

    No social gathering of any kind

    No religious gathering

    Only go out if it is absolutely, positively necessary.

Unfortunately, Nigerians consider these a burden especially the lockdown. The president has asked people to stay home. He has made financial provision to help people through this period.

As is usual with every good will, those assigned to manage it made mess of it. We are not the only country affected by the crises. Sometimes we need to be thorough and transparent in the handling of matters especially when it has to do with health especially plagues, epidemics or pandemic.

These are matters of life. We may need to collaborate with civil society and other nations to be able to do things right. A small country like Gambia shared relief materials in an orderly manner which was on display. The world will never forget the picture and it will remaing a landmark reference.

Be it money or material provisions that the government is sharing, they don’t need to gather or invite people to a spot for them to come and get it. There is no trying to separate the poorest of the poor in this present time. The government and the volunteer distributors of this palliative relief should take into account that many Nigerians are self employed and make their income by being at their duty post on a daily basis.

Many of such businesses and their employees are not going to receive income this period. Those who are guaranteed of their earnings are government employees of all categories and those working in blue chip organizations. Therefore, the sharing of money, no matter

how little should go directly into peoples’ accounts or the sharers will have to go door to door to disburse whatever token that is going to be shared and recorded and marked as is usually done when polio immunization is being given instead of calling people out in public arenas to come and queue.

Calling people out to gather in crowds for rations defeats the idea of social distancing and prevention of spreading Covid-19.

Nigerian government is not rich enough to be disbursing money to all who need it this period. However, by proper management a lot of the masses would have been reached. People have resorted to stealing and harming fellow peasants. The police have turned to terror unto cyclists who try to convey people around. They seize motorcycles

Conveying even patients to and from hospital. People have started flooding the roads. It is not a question of people getting tired of staying home. It is about hunger. It is about survival. Transparency and commitment from the government would help do things right. But there was mismanagement from our leaders.

It is not the responsibility of the president to share the money he earmarked s palliative for lockdown. He did the right thing releasing fund the same time he announced the lockdown but the ministry in charge failed. Just last night he has released another fund. How much of this fund will get to the right people is something that begs many questions.

 In the absence of food and fund, and the inevitable collapse of our economy, the government should rather think of purchasing face masks produced locally and encourage the mass production of it which should be shared to all and sundry, at least each person to receive 3masks.

People should be forced to wear mask to go out and do their businesses.

Defaulters should rather be fined than the continuous lockdown which has increased vices making people to live under fear and at the mercy of hunger stricken citizens who have turned to armed robbers. For me I advocate masks for all Nigerians.

Nnenna V. Ahiwe wrote from Lagos