SWITZERLAND, APRIL 19 – There have been 131 confirmed cases reported in the last three days, representing a 31 percent increase in coronavirus cases in Nigeria. While some analysts have attributed this dramatic increase to non-compliance to the shut-in orders imposed by the president and some governors, others have agued that it is evidence that the pandemic is nearing its peak in Nigeria.

Whatever the case may be, it is evident that many Nigerians are not complying with the officially recommended measures such as staying at home and social distancing. It is sad that many violators are members of the elite.

Several members of the elite who attended the burial of the late Chief of Staff to the president, Abba Kyari may have put their health and that of other people in jeopardy due to the high level of carelessness displayed at the event.

Mr Kyari died on Friday from complications due to the coronavirus. It would be expected that his burial would follow strict guidelines from the NCDC and other authorities to prevent the further spread of the virus. However, the rules of social distancing were hardly adhered to as more than 20 people were present at the event, most of them in close quarters to one another. Although all the guests wore facemasks, videos have emerged showing some guests taking off their masks intermittently to scratch their faces.

A video has also emerged on social media, showing a man who was allegedly among the workers who buried Mr Kyari, removing his Hamzat suit carelessly and dumping it on the ground before entering his car.

This is the same sort of dangerous behaviour that has aided the spread of the virus in other countries. In Chicago, United States, a super-spreader attended a funeral and infected 15 people, including three who died. Some of them also went on to infect other people, setting up a cascade of infections that shot up Chicago’s confirmed cases.

Also in Albany, Georgia, coronavirus infection swept through the community like wild fire, days after over 200 people gathered for the funeral of a retired janitor.

Many Nigerians have condemned the gross carelessness exhibited at the event, expressing concern that some of the guests may become infected and spread the virus to other people. This has elicited reactions from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the NCDC.

Today’s Echo gathered that the FCTA has already assured that all those who were active at Mr Kyari’s burial had been identified and will be isolated and tested.

In a statement, Dr Mohammed Kawu, Acting Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat, FCTA, urged Nigerians to remain calm, adding that the FCT Administration would move to curb actions that could lead to further spread of the virus.

He stated that future burials would be done in line with guidelines of NCDC.

He said, “The administration has also taken steps to ensure that all future burials of victims of COVID-19 are conducted in line with protocols established by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

“Residents are therefore urged to remain calm and rest assured that the FCT Administration will continue to do all that is necessary to curtail and eventually end the spread of Coronavirus in the FCT,” Kawu said.

https://www.todaysecho.com/politics/coronavirus-may-have-found-a-super-spreader-in-the-handling-of-kyaris-burial/

God will protect his own.