Our esteemed readers, the Editorial Board of www.newsbitsng.com as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative hereby join forces with the Federal Government of Nigeria in asking you to kindly obey the sit-at-home order as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari, Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Buhari had on March 29, 2020 in a nationwide broadcast directed a total lock-down of Lagos State, Ogun State and the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja.
The whole idea is to curtail and contain the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which is ravaging the entire world. From what we have seen the virus do in countries such as the United States of America, Italy, Spain, and China where the virus originated, we can attest to the fact that COVID-19 is deadly. As you may be aware, the virus for now has no known cure and scientists all over the world are working round the clock to find a cure.
Pending when that cure comes, the best way to ensure that the virus does not spread is to observe some personal hygiene routines and reduce our interactions with other people because by the nature of the virus, it takes long period of about 14 days to hibernate and manifest in the human bod, which is why President Buhari after due consultations with health authorities such as the World Health Organisation(WHO) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) ordered a total lockdown of the most vulnerable states for now.
Originating in Hubei’s capital of Wuhan, the Coronavirus has spread throughout China and across the world — with cases confirmed in around over a dozen other countries and counting including countries as far away from China as the United States of America, Italy, Spain, Nigeria and India. There are also Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, France, Vietnam, Australia, Nepal, Malaysia and Canada and a whole lot of others.
As a media house, we will not be in business if not for your patronage, which is why we are joining the call by medical authorities for you to stay safe and stay indoors because together, we will defeat this deadly virus and in no distant time, God willing, go back to our normal daily life. But do us a favour by observing the following daily routines:
- Wash your hands regularly with soap under running water
- Cover your mouth and nose properly with handkerchief or tissue paper when sneezing and/or coughing. You may also cough into your elbow if a handkerchief is not available
- Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing
- Avoid self-medication, report to the nearest health facility when you experience any of the above-mentioned symptoms
- Make use of the hand sanitisers
- Do not touch the railings of staircases especially in public places
- Seek medical assistance in the case of emergency
- Do not share cutleries and try and wash your cups/plates personally
- Reduce intake of cold drinks
- Drink water regularly for proper body hydration
- Make use of facemask and hand gloves and safely dispose immediately after use
- Avoid public places as much as practicable
- Do not engage in handshakes with people – wave or bow instead
- Regularly clean your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Maintain social distancing when discussing/meeting with people for at least 3ft
- It is important you get your own alcohol-based hand sanitizers
- Immediately dispose the used tissue in a covered bin
- Avoid touching your eyes, face or mouth if you have not washed hands with soap
- Report people with symptoms to health authorities
- Avoid crowded environments
- Disinfect your surrounding and items such as tables, door handles, laptops, metal surfaces, chair armrests etc before using them
- Practice respiratory hygiene and so on
But of all the above listed daily practice at a time like this, the most important of all is to obey the federal government directive to stay at home. As medical experts have succinctly put it, “…the virus does not move, people move it. So, if we stop moving around, the virus will stop spreading…” Stay safe, our esteemed readers!
