A country lockdown ought to be the most effective way of fighting coronavirus pandemic. I am afraid this method would not work for my country, Nigeria. Why? A country needs a lot of economic power to be able to implement lockdown. For example, the US provided $2 Trillion stimulus package for businesses, including a direct check to individuals and children. Other countries have provided billions of dollars too for their citizen. Nigeria cannot provide this sort of money because we of our population. We have a meager $40 billion in our treasury. For a country recovering from a recession, the lockdown will spell doomsday for Nigeria.

Already, small businesses, the lifeblood of the nation that employs more than 80% of working populations, are locked up. How will Nigerians survive? Millions of Nigeria live off their daily wages from market sales or labor. Restaurants, Hotel and other private businesses will certainly not pay workers at this time. With no savings for food consumption, people will almost certainly break the order to find survival, increasing the risk for the virus spread. Housing is another talking point. Think about the millions of families that live in a single room apartment. They share their accommodation with other families living in the same obnoxious situation. What makes matters worse, there is little supply of electricity to provide lighting, entertainment, or even to charge phones. All these do not make lockdown achievable, except you are thinking of exterminating the poor. Of course, when the going gets tough for Nigerians, they will push back, resulting in chaos and anarchy. We do not want this type of counterproductive effort.

I am going to recommend an alternate way to the Nigerian government. It's a trade-off, but when appropriately managed, the incidence of infection will not overwhelm our healthcare while the economy keeps functioning. Our government should embark on partial restriction and encouraging social distancing. Movement of people should only take place from 8 am - 6 pm or less. Schools, churches, mosques and public offices should remain closed down. Every Nigerian must wear masks compulsorily while in public or arrested. Czech population is currently wearing masks, and there is little transmission since they started it. Right now, scarfs and handkerchiefs can be converted into masks. The case against mask as an ineffective preventive technique for stopping the virus is partly to allow enough masks for medical workers. Up till now, masks are still in short supply in US hospitals. But let's take an objective look at the issue of masks. Many doctors protect themselves from the virus with masks, even when they are directly exposed to the virus for more than 8 hrs daily while treating highly contagious patients. This is a practical demonstration of the effectiveness of masks. The federal government should immediately begin mass production or order of masks and make them available to every Nigerian.

Another area of concern is the astronomical rise in the prices of food and goods. A rubber of Garri previously sold for N700 is now N2000. Of course, the law of economics comes into play whenever there is a scarcity or increased demand for goods. While Prices of food will definitely go up, it is the responsibility of the government to see irresponsible citizens do not take advantage of scarcity or fear to gouge prices. Fortunately, the US government has legislation to forestall price gouging. The National House of Assembly must put in place a price-gouging law to disallow unfair food price increase.

A Lockdown ought to be very good practice but from recent happenings, we need to be careful to see that its implementation does not endanger the very citizens it seeks to protect with more community spread of the virus when the populace begins to defy the lockdown. I am even more afraid for the task force who are exposed from maintaining order and sharing food while being crowded by non-protected people.

Osasu Osaze is a Mechanical Engineering Lecturer at the University of Benin, and currently on study leave at the University of Missouri, United States

lol

Okay

Ok

I totally agree with you . I discuss same thing with my neighbour.

You guys are still joking with this virus because you haven’t experienced what an outbreak looks like. Continue!

Italy, UK, US etc all felt the same way at some point!

I will prefer to be on lockdown that wearing one mask upadan

I pray we get it right!

OP, please be informed. Most of those masks do not prevent the virus. If in doubt, do your research.

socialmediaman:
You guys are still joking with this virus because you haven’t experienced what an outbreak looks like. Continue!

Italy, UK, US etc all felt the same way at some point!

This is the very essence of my post. Our lockdown may result in more infections. The current market operation for 4 hours without ordering the use of masks by buyers and sellers sets off a perfect storm for community spread of the virus. The virus is transmitted mostly by people at a time the carriers do not even know about having it. So it makes sense for anyone stepping out to protect himself and, most importantly, protect others should they have it. We have seen how impractical a lockdown could be because people still need water and food. Many Nigerians don't have access to tap water. Because we don't have a foodbank system like in the advance country, the mobile food bank is a conflicted spot, as we have seen. And how sustainable do you think the practice is? Remember, our states can move about freely, so people are moving from Lagos, Ogun, Abuja to other non-lockdown states. There must be a strategy that fits all citizens and all states. Reduce time of movement but with strict mask law.

PatrickOkunima:
OP, please be informed. Most of those masks do not prevent the virus. If in doubt, do your research.

You can use your home scarf as mask and wash everyday. Practice hand wash with soap and water regularly.

Mayflowa:


You can use your home scarf as mask and wash everyday. Practice hand wash with soap and water regularly.

If facemask cannot stop it, is it scarf that will?

PatrickOkunima:
If facemask cannot stop it, is it scarf that will?

Who said face mask cannot stop it? The virus transmit by droplet of saliva or sneezing entering another person's nose or mouth. Any garment barrier can stop it. The virus hardly live on garments. That is why WHO recommended you sneeze into your elbow. So scarf can stop it. With a pair of rubber band, you can turn a home scarf into mask

Mayflowa:


Who said face mask cannot stop it? The virus transmit by droplet of saliva or sneezing entering another person's nose or mouth. Any garment barrier can stop it. The virus hardly live on garments. That is why WHO recommended you sneeze into your elbow. So scarf can stop it. With a pair of rubber band, you can turn a home scarf into mask

It's obvious you don't know what a virus is. We're talking of microorganisms here, not dust particles. Please readup.

All these people making noise.

You can't be more intelligent than the doctors and health experts handling this thing.

Ask yourself if the Nurses and Doctors who have died so far were not wearing oxygen mask not even this piece of cloth.

Who told you Mask is 100% protection against this virus.

Let's not use because we have a failed government who can't take care of it's citizens to make light of this covid 19.

PatrickOkunima:
It's obvious you don't know what a virus is. We're talking of microorganisms here, not dust particles. Please readup.

For your information, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended cloth mask today made from home locally to stop the spread of the virus. I advise you to read it.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html

Additionally, a stay-at-home was announce in one of US state today. I have attached it here. The guidance for stay-at-home was reasonable. People are allow to grocery, private businesses are allow to open with reduced staff, banks are opened, and you can go for walking or exercise. This is addition to a check of $1,200 to every single person in the state. I attached it here for you.

Barely 24 hours, I stated this campaign of compulsory mask wearing in public, it has started yielding result in Nigeria. I do not care if I get any credit. I just want my countrymen to be safe and be able to eat. Gov. Umahi of Eboyi has ordered a compulsory mask use in public or face arrest. This is a better option than keeping the state lockdown knowing you can't provide food for the people. See link:

https://www.nairaland.com/5772579/umahi-arrest-anyone-not-wearing

But I expect the governor should, in addition, put some form of restriction on movement, especially at night. And he should have distributed masks before making the order so the prices don't hit the ceiling.