COVID-19: Enough of Restrictions, Curfew, Anxiety
Ican still clearly remember the DirectorGeneral of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Ghebreyesus, telling the world that Coronavirus will remain with us for a long time. “Make no mistake; we have a long way to go,” Ghebreyesus said few weeks back. He admitted that people in countries with stay-at-home orders “are understandably frustrated” with being confined to their homes for weeks on end and that people, understandably, want to get on with their lives. The WHO DG said the world would not and cannot go back to the way things were and insisted that “there must be a new normal.”
That “new normal” is what we should progress to in Nigeria. However, restrictions, lockdowns, curfew and government-induced anxiety should no longer be a part of this new normal. This is why I find the extension of the restrictions imposed on Lagos, Ogun and Abuja absolutely unnecessary. The curfew, shutdown of businesses, ban on interstate travel, shutdown of schools, churches, mosques and social activities must not go beyond June 1. These measures have inflicted unprecedented pain on many, with some people losing their lives. We have already created a monster with these restrictions and we will be creating a bigger one if they persist. The curfew is causing traffic crisis with frightening gridlocks. There is hunger, unemployment, violence by hungry people/delinquents and frustration in the land. Innumerable Nigerians have also lost jobs and some businesses will never return. Bank branches are in shambles with endless queues because they are allowed to open for only few hours. It is pertinent to balance the risk of this virus against these other monsters. We need our lives backs, with a “new normal” that will pragmatically contain the spread of the virus.
For me, we must reopen this economy fully on June 1, with a “new normal” that would see us promoting the highest level of hygiene, wearing protective materials and social distancing in offices, factories, schools, public buses, churches, mosques and other public places. The good news about Coronavirus is that we know the problem and the drug to use. The wonder drug is an open secret. We are also evidently getting result. Lagos State alone has treated almost 700 people that had fully recovered and discharged. The “new normal” should be one in which testing, isolation and treatment will be free and fully decentralised. Doctors, nurses and other medical workers at primary and tertiary health institutions should be massively trained to test, isolate and treat COVID-19 patients. I am happy that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State is looking in this direction. He is already talking about involving primary health centres in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. This is the way to go.
Government-induced fear must also end. There has been too much COVID-19 hyping by government and its agencies, and carelessly presenting the virus as a death sentence. I can’t understand how the imposition of curfew will help contain the virus. Perhaps, the virus will also not come out while the curfew is on. Let’s not deny the fact that Coronavirus is real. At the same time, let’s not make our lives useless. The virus will be with us for a long time to come. We must live with this fact. Emphasis should also be on pragmatic protection. We should also be talking about how people can improve their immunity with simple over-the-counter drugs like vitamin C and Zinc. Of course, the use of local herbs that are evidently preventive and curative should also be encouraged.
Another thing I find depressing is that some of the measures being promoted against this virus lack scientific consensus. For example, numerous countries, including Nigeria, embarked on massive fumigation of streets and open spaces shortly after the outbreak of the disease. Many spent huge amount of money doing this. Suddenly, the World Health Organisation gets up and says spraying disinfectant on streets and open spaces does not eliminate Coronavirus and “even poses a health risk.”
In a document released last Monday, WHO says disinfecting open surfaces as part of the response to the virus can be ineffective: “Spraying or fumigation of outdoor spaces, such as streets or market places is not recommended to kill the COVID-19 or other pathogens because disinfectant is inactivated by dirt and debris. Even in the absence of organic matter, chemical spraying is unlikely to adequately cover all surfaces for the duration of the required contact time needed to inactivate pathogens.”
According to the health body, streets and pavements are not considered as “reservoirs of infection” of COVID-19, adding that spraying disinfectants, even outside, can be “dangerous for human health”. The organisation warned that spraying chlorine or other toxic chemicals on people can cause eye and skin irritation, bronchospasm and gastrointestinal effects.So, all the noise about disinfecting public places was just a misguided venture.
Social distancing is equally being questioned, with a former WHO doctor, Professor Karol Sikora, saying the excruciating social distancing rule was needless. He rubbished the two-metre social distancing rule put in place by most governments, saying it should be scrapped as it has no scientific backing. Sikora, an Oncologist added: “The way we use our drugs and the way we do investigations have bases in science, but this two-metre rule has nothing. The politicians are lost because they get conflicted advice. There is no science about the separation.”
As for state governments implementing usage of face mask overzealously, and terrorising people, they need to realise that not everybody can wear these masks, and accommodate this limitation. They say it is mandatory, forgetting that some people cannot wear it for health reasons. Experts have warned that people who have asthma or other lung conditions should not wear a face mask because it could make it difficult for them to breathe. Masks can make it more difficult to draw air into the lungs and this may trigger asthma for some and cause anxiety, which changes people’s breathing patterns. Experts say people should wear a mask if they comfortably can, to protect themselves and others around them, but not risk their own health in the process. Mask-wearing rules must be amended to reflect this fact.