Coronavirus: FCT residents decry scarcity of face masks

Residents of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried the scarcity of face masks, one of the items needed to protect self from contracting Coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

A cross section of the residents who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, expressed concern over the unavailability of the commodity in the markets.

NAN reports that Nigeria recorded its first confirmed case of Coronavirus on Friday in Lagos.

The index patient, an Italian citizen who returned to Nigeria on February 25, from a business trip in Milan, Italy.

He later visited Ogun State for business, fell ill and was taken to Lagos where he tested positive to the virus.

One of the Abuja residents, Mr Joseph Abiodun told NAN in Gwagwalada that he had checked for face masks to buy in supermarkets and pharmacies in the area but could not find any.

Abiodun said with the index case of Convid-19 recorded in Lagos, it was expected to that face masks and other protective materials be easily made available.

Zainab Abubakar, another resident said she used her weekend searching for face masks to buy in order to get prepared for the week but couldn’t get any because it was not available in the markets.

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Abubakar noted that she was not willing to patronise hawkers that sell such products on the streets.

Similarly, Mr Isaac Avoihi, a resident of Federal Housing in Lugbe complained of unavailability of face masks in his area.

Avoihi said he was ready to buy the face masks at any price because of its importance owing to the outbreak of the disease in Nigeria.

Mrs Modinat Balogun told NAN that the scarcity of the face masks in her area and other parts of Abuja was worrisome.

Balogun said she went to the city centre to buy sanitisers and face masks for herself and her children but she could not get the face masks in any of the supermarkets visited.

She appealed to the government to provide all personal protective materials for people free of charge, adding that doing so would help in containing the spread of the disease.

NAN reports that face masks were out of stocks in most supermarkets and pharmacies visited in Gwagwalada and Lugbe areas of FCT. (NAN)