Coronavirus: Here’s an Update on the Situation of Things in Nigeria

With new cases of the infected increasing on a daily basis, on Monday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) recorded the first coronavirus death in Nigeria.

Amid this outbreak, more states in Nigeria have taken the outbreak seriously, from shutting down schools to ordering civil servants to stay home for 14 days. Here’s all that has happened.

Kogi State orders Civil Servants to stay home

Following the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the Kogi State Government has ordered civil servants in the state’s workforce to stay off workplaces for 14 days, to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

According to the Nigerian Tribune, the press statement issued, on Monday, by Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, states that:

Civil servants from GL 1 to 13 are directed to stay off workplaces for 14 days which is subject to review after the first week starting from Monday 23rd March 2020. Only workers from GL 1 to 13 are affected by the directive to stay at home while GL 14 and above are to report at their Offices.

Those rendering essential services are to continue to go to their workplaces as they are not affected by the “Work from Home” directive. The Governor of the State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has approved the “Work from Home” approach to ensure the virus doesn’t spread through contacts at Government offices across the state.

The Kogi State Government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the virus doesn’t find its way to the state and in the unfortunate scenario it does, Government is prepared to control and manage the cases. No case of the virus has been reported in Kogi State yet and it is hoped that Government’s efforts at staving the virus off the State will prove productive.

We urge Kogites to ensure adherence to health instructions from the State Ministry of Health on how to prevent the disease as well as ensure personal hygiene.

Here’s how Kaduna State is taking preventive measures to curb to the spread of the virus

According to Daily Trust, the state Deputy Governor, Hadiza Balarebe, said that herself and “the state Ministry of Health met with development partners and have started a series of activities aimed at protecting the people of the state from the disease”.

So far, the state government has:

• Sent a medical team to the airport, train stations and motor parks to test passengers who were coming into Kaduna.
• The team generally took the passengers’ body temperature at the airport and looked out for early symptoms of coronavirus disease.
• At the motor parks and trains, our teams gave out fliers and handbills, detailing symptoms of the disease and what to do to prevent the spread of coronavirus
• Health officials have been embarking on sensitization campaign in the media, advising residents to strictly adhere to simple hygiene washing their hands regularly with soap and running water or with hand sanitizers.
• Sensitizing people to cough or sneeze in a tissue paper or handkerchiefs and dispose of them properly after use and those who don’t have handkerchiefs or tissues should sneeze or cough into a sleeve of a bent elbow.
• The Infectious Disease Control Centre, DCC, and public hospitals in Kaduna have been stocked with drugs and medical consumables.
• Doctors and health workers have been fully briefed on what to do in case of an emergency.

Kwara State has also ordered civil servants to work from home

The Kwara State Government has also ordered civil servants to work from home.

In a statement released by the state Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq stated that civil servants apart from the Ministry of Health and essential workers, are to work from the home beginning on Monday until further notice.
The statement reads:

Statement by His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State on COVID-19 pandemic

Dear Kwarans:

The welfare, security and well-being of all Kwarans are of utmost importance to our administration and, as such

— Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (@RealAARahman) March 22, 2020

As individuals, we are all responsible for the general well-being of fellow Kwarans and should work together to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by:

1) washing our hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds as much as possible daily;
2)avoiding touching our eyes, mouths, and noses;
3) covering our mouths and noses with our bent elbow or tissue when we cough or sneeze;
4) staying more than 1 meter (3 feet) away from a person who is sick and coughing, and wearing a mask if you are ill (especially if coughing) or looking after someone who is ill and coughing;
5) abstaining from handshaking until the threat of this COVID-19 is zero; and
6) avoiding crowded area and minimising any gathering to a maximum of 25.

As a community, we must do everything possible to prevent any transmission of COVID-19 by embracing the concept of social distancing and self-isolation. These measures are to prevent anyone that may be infected with COVID-19 from spreading the disease to others.

An exponential spread of COVID-19 in our community might be catastrophic because we could have thousands of our citizens sick at the same time.
Given the aforementioned and the global health emergency situation, our administration has taken the following difficult but important decisions to protect Kwarans:

1) Closure of all public and private nurseries, primary, secondary and state-owned Tertiary institutions.
2) Aside from Ministry of health and essential workers, all civil servants are to work from home.
3) All gatherings of more than 25 people are hereby discouraged until further notice.

We need to encourage all Kwarans to get involved in this fight against COVID-19. We believe we will achieve desired results only if and when our people are properly sensitised on how to protect our communities from the virus.
We are determined to continue to make the necessary investments in healthcare to safeguard the lives of our people. A 20-bed high-quality isolation centre has been completed and equipped at Sobi Specialist Hospital and plans are underway to build additional and well-equipped 12-bed intensive care unit at the General Hospital, Ilorin.

We have put in place a “COVID-19 Technical Committee” comprising healthcare professionals and officials whose primary responsibility is to assist our administration in combating COVID-19 in Kwara State. This committee is headed by the Deputy Governor.

In addition to the above measures, including the emergency telephone lines already given by the Ministry of Health, you will be receiving regular briefings and bulletins from us on the development.
Finally, l wish to reassure all Kwarans of the determination of our administration to prevent, contain, and limit the impact of the pandemic on our people.

God bless Kwara State! God bless Nigeria.

Niger State

The SSA, Abdullberqy U. Ebbo announced on Twitter that, “as from Wednesday, March 25, 2020, Niger State will observe a daily curfew from 8 AM to 8 PM till further notice”.

He further added that, “The traditional leaders should ensure all Almajiri schools in their communities are closed down. All forms of street hawking and begging are banned. All public offices including Ministries, Departments and Agencies must provide hand washing items at the entrance of their facilities. Meanwhile, all civil servants on grade level 1-12 are to stay at home, except those on essential services.

All public offices including Ministries, Departments and Agencies must provide hand washing items at the entrance of their facilities.

Meanwhile, all civil servants on grade level 1-12 are to stay at home, except those on essential services.

— Abdullberqy Ebbo (@Nupenchi_) March 23, 2020