Fides Media Living the Faith
As the coronavirus situation worsens, judging from daily reports gotten globally, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and government agencies are taking appropriate measures to protect the citizenry. There is however a need for massive sensitization of the general public on the collective need for all to come together and learn from the success of those who have managed to control the spread of the virus, as well as to follow the directives of the health authorities who know better.
It is expedient to reach out to people in the rural areas and educate them on the necessary measures to take in order to stay out of danger of being exposed to carriers of the virus.
Even though the coronavirus, which is also known as COVID-19 is a global health challenge that has crippled the economies of certain countries, countries can survive its scourge by obeying simple instructions given by health givers and local authorities. Collective efforts are needed by every citizen of this country to share helpful information cum enlightenment about critical prevention messages within our social and professional circles.
This includes washing of hands frequently with soap under running water or cleansing of hands with alcohol based sanitizers; sneezing into tissue and disposing of it properly; coughing into the elbow; avoiding large gatherings and physical contacts; disinfecting the environment regularly; getting information only from official sources; going on self-isolation for 14 days on return from international trips or areas where one might have been exposed to the disease, among other things.
Thankfully, no case of this dreaded virus has been officially recorded in Anambra State. There is however the need for the state government to have isolation centres on ground and not wait for cases to arise before making frantic efforts to tackle the situation.
Equally, there should be readily available testing kits for the virus for easy handling of such cases if and when they arise.
The coronavirus is very much a global health challenge and this has affected the faith and people’s values. It however lies in our hands to see that we fight it collectively by adhering to simple instructions and applying personal discipline, while seeking the face of God to save the country from this growing pandemic.