Lockdown: Persevere much more, Lagos Assembly appeals to residents

The Lagos State House of Assembly has appealed to Lagos residents to strictly adhere to restriction order imposed by the government in order to stem the spread of the virus in no distant time.

A joint committee of the house on Health and Information stated this on a visit to four coronavirus treatment and Isolation centres in the state for assessment of the facilities in order to ascertain how adequate the healthcare services  in those places.

The committee visited the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) Yaba, Isolation Centre at Onikan Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Eti Osa Isolation Centre at Landmark Victoria Island and the Cardiac and Renal Centre General Hospital Gbagada, which has also been drafted for prompt medical care as the virus bites harder in the State, given the circulated statistics by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

In their observation during the tour around the facilities, the committee noticed a proactive response to the pandemic as basic equipments were afforded.

Aside from slight inadequacies sighted at the IDH with respect to the provision of Personal Protective Equipments (PPE) for frontline healthcare givers; the Nurses and hygienists as well as testing kits, which they promise to make recommendations for needed attention.

According to the team led by Hon. Hakeem Sokunle, the chairman House Committee on Health Services and accompanied by Hon. Tunde Braimoh, the Chairman House Committee on Information, Security and Strategy, the government is living no stone  to mitigate the further spread of the virus but really needs the cooperation of the people.

Also part of the team was Hon. Temitope Adewale Chairman House Committee on Transportation and Hon.Desmond Elliott Chairman House Committee on Environment.

Sokunle harped on the aptness of the government’s insistence on sit at home order as the best way to curb the spread of the virus, weighing the grave consequences of getting infected on an individual.

The lawmaker commended the Lagos State Governor Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the lockdown, noting that it will if strictly adhered to aid quick detection and immediate medical attention.

Sokunle noted this as the best way to curb the further spread of virus.

“Let us commend the government giving out that executive order, I must say this, having it slow does not mean that we will achieve 100 per cent success and having it fast has nothing to do with success.

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“The good thing about the place is if there is a lockdown, it will confine everybody in his or her room or places of abode and that would enable us if there is any outbreak to come down to your residence and pick you up for treatment.

“So the lockdown will only assist us to be able to identify all the people affected by the coronavirus.

“The best way to curb the spread is through absolute lockdown, I understand it is not easy but sometimes we should be able to consider the effect of COVID-19 because if you witness the effect of the virus on the human being it is very very bad.

“You can imagine shortened breathing, coughing and all the rest, it will get to a time that the respiratory organ oozes blood.

“So if the government said we should lock down, we should be able to abide by it and lock down,” Sokunle said.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE