The management of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) on Monday made compulsory the use of face mask in its campuses over concerns of third wave of COVID-19 in the country.
The Federal Government on Sunday put six states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on red alert following the emergence and possible rising cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 infection.
The affected states, which are spread across four of the country’s six geopolitical zones of South-west, South-south, North-West and North-central are Lagos, Oyo, Rivers, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau and the nation’s capital, FCT.
A statement issued in Port Harcourt by the chairman of UNIPORT’s Steering Committee on COVID-19, Prof. Siminialayi Iyeopu, quoted the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Owunari Georgwill, as issuing the directive.
According to Georgewill, the university is worried about the rising number of new cases and hospitalisation from the pandemic in the country.
“So, the mandatory use of face masks shall commence effective Monday, July 19, in UNIPORT.
“Every member of the university community must wear a face mask and observe all COVID-19 protocols for all indoor activities, including examinations and lectures, as well as meetings.
“All staff, students and visitors to UNIPORT are required to wash their hands regularly or use hand sanitisers while adhering strictly to social distancing regulations,” Georgwill stated.
The vice chancellor said that the measures were aimed at curbing the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of Coronavirus into the university campuses.
The country recorded its index case of Coronavirus in February 2020 with thousands of confirmed cases and some deaths thereafter.
No fewer than 50 persons were on Monday prosecuted for violating the protocol on the use of face masks in public places in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The violators were subjected to community service after they were arraigned at the mobile court at the governor’s office in Oke-Mosan.
It was observed that the violators were punished to serve two hours of community service for their offences.
The state government had threatened to arrest and prosecute those caught without using face masks.
The state government had in a circular issued by the State Head of Service, Selimot Ottun, said the directive would take effect from February 22, 2021.
While enforcing the law on Monday, the task force made the arrest at the state secretariat in Oke-Mosan.
A security guard who never failed to put on his face mask to protect himself from the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) has reportedly suffocated to death.
According to reports, on Friday, August 28, the 50-year-old private guard, identified as Solomon Ede and attached to a building in Alako area of Abeokuta, was said to have gone to bed without removing his face mask shortly after he took a local gin popularly called ogogoro.
His lifeless body was found face down with his face mask the next day, suggesting that he died of suffocation from the face mask.
Sources revealed that neighbours who came to fetch water at the compound of the house where the deceased worked as a guard until his death banged on the gate of the building endlessly but Ede did not come out to grant them access to the tap.
It was said that the noise at the gate of the building alerted Ede’s boss who opened the gate for the visitors and decided to check on Ede in his room, but the door to his room was firmly shut. His boss then forced the door of the apartment tucked inside the security house of the building open only to find Ede lying face down on the bed lifeless and with his face mask in place.
The boss was said to have raised the alarm which attracted other residents to the building, with many blaming the deceased’s tragic death on his obsession with alcohol.
The news of the guard’s death triggered emotions as sympathisers had a hectic time consoling his widow, who had rushed to the scene on receiving the news of her husband’s death.
It was said that the expectant wife of the deceased’s boss was shell-shocked and almost passed out at the scene but for the quick intervention of female sympathisers who took her away.
A source said: “But for the noise from those who came to fetch water in the early hours of the day, no one would have known that a tragedy had occurred.
“It was when the deceased failed to come out of his apartment to attend to those fetching water in the premises of the house that his boss came out and discovered his body.”
Shocked by the discovery, the unnamed Ede’s employer reported the matter to a police division at Kemta, Idi Aba.
Sources said the deceased was recently persuaded by his boss to open an account in a bank for the purpose of receiving his salary, following the way he was lavishing his money on alcohol.
A neighbour who spoke in confidence said: “Earlier on the day of his unfortunate death, his employer reminded him of their previous discussion about opening a bank account so he could be paying his salary into the account without delay, especially when he is out of town.
”He was to be paid his salary same Saturday his lifeless body was found in his room.”
Some sympathisers revealed that Ede took to alcohol after suffering depression. He was said to have been warned by his employer and residents of the neighbourhood many times to desist from excessive consumption of the local gin.
“He usually removed his face mask before going to bed. But he took some ogogoro late in the evening and was downcast. Those who saw him at the entrance of his apartment asked him to remove the mask on his face and go to bed, but he refused.
”However, he went to bed forgetting to remove his face mask and slept face down. He was probably choked to death by the face mask,” said a source who spoke in confidence.
The source added: “No one would believe that he started working as a guard in the building in March this year, because he was a likable fellow who related with everyone pleasantly. Hence, he had unhindered access to his boss’ apartment.
“He was a very easy going man, only that he could not restrain himself from indulging in the consumption of local gin which eventually led him to wear a face mask to bed, leading to his death.”
A resident identified simply as Olamilekan disclosed that the deceased had rebuffed those who pleaded with him to retire to bed when he was discovered to be drunk.
“He was sighted on Friday seated at the entrance of his apartment at the security house where he worked. He was looking downcast and was asked to go into his room but he refused. It was shocking that he died overnight.
“From the look of things and without prejudice to police investigations on the cause of his death, he was so drunk and probably forgot to remove his face mask before sleeping face down and suffocating to death.”
Policemen from Kemta Police Division in Idi Aba were said to have evacuated the body of the deceased to the mortuary at the State General Hospital at Ijaiye, Abeokuta.
A former Secretary-General of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Anthony Sani, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, the 36 state governors, lawmakers, traditional rulers and other public figures to adopt wearing of face masks at all time as a means of ending COVID-19 in Nigeria.
That way, Sani said, the nation would break the transmission chain and prevent subsequent return of COVID-19, while saving the health infrastructure, lives and the economy.
The ACF chieftain stated this in a statement in Kaduna on Tuesday.
Sani said, “With the current downward trends in the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria, given the absence of vaccine and cure for the COVID-19 for now, and the fact that we have not been able to enforce social distancing measures, the only choice left for us in Nigeria is for everybody to wear face masks in crowded places like markets, motor parks, public gathering, worship places and public transport for at least 14 days.
“One way for forcing compliance is for President Buhari, all the governors and all traditional rulers to lead the way by wearing face masks. That way, the nation can break the transmission chain needed for curbing the coronavirus pandemic, and prevent subsequent come back of COVID-19 and save the health infrastructure, more lives and the economy.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived Mali for a peace mission wearing a face mask for the first time.
TheNewsGuru.com TNG reports that the president has never worn a face mask since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria in February.
But the president was spotted in Mali on Thursday wearing a face mask.
IN PICTURES; President @MBuhari in Bamako, Republic of Mali on a one-day visit aimed at finding a political solution to the recent crisis in the country. pic.twitter.com/BuT67HA8eQ
Some ECOWAS leaders led by President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic, agreed to meet in Mali to engage in further consultations towards finding a political solution to the crisis in the country.
Watch video here:
The arrival of President @MBuhari in Bamako. He is in Mali with some ECOWAS leaders led by President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic, as they agreed to meet there to engage in further consultations towards finding a political solution to the crisis in the country. pic.twitter.com/qzblArbaRE
Also in Mali, is former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who returned to Bamako in continuation of his mediation mission as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intensifies efforts towards resolving the ongoing socio-political crisis in the Mali.
As ECOWAS’ Special Envoy to Mali, the former President will be accompanying a High-Level Mission of five west African Heads of State who are visiting Mali as a follow-up to Jonathan’s last week mediation mission to Bamako. The High-Level Mission includes Nigerian President Muhamadu Buhari, Mr. Mahamadou Issoufou, President of the Republic of Niger and Chair of ECOWAS Authority, Mr. Macky Sall, President of Senegal, Mr. Alassane Ouattara, President of Cote d’Ivoire and Mr. Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-addo, President of the Republic of Ghana.
The regional leaders are expected to meet with key stakeholders in the Malian political crisis with a view to helping them to find common ground in the search for solution.
After a three-day mission to Mali last week which ended last Sunday, Jonathan and his mediation team recommended the formation of a government of national unity with members drawn from different interest groups in the country, including the ruling coalition, the opposition parties and the civil society.
There was pandemonium at the Banana Junction in Orlu town of Imo State on Tuesday as a police inspector shot dead a 27-year-old man for not wearing a face mask.
The incident which happened around 3pm caused a storm in the area as youths, including traders, threatened to invade a nearby police station.
A detachment of police team had been drafted to the scene to rescue the situation.
An eyewitness told newsmen that the victim, a commercial motorcyclist, who was with a passenger, was reportedly shot on a close-range by one of the policemen who were on a stop-and-search duty.
The witness said, “A police inspector has shot and killed an okada rider at Banana Junction for not wearing a face mask. The policeman who stopped the man asked him why he was not wearing a face mask and one thing led to the other and he shot him on a close range and he died on the spot.
“The situation here is getting out of hands. The youths, okada riders, and traders are on rampage. Policemen have taken to their heels. Those at the police station have removed their police uniforms and are putting on plain cloths.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a new guidance on homemade or locally-made face masks for prevention of COVID-19.
The WHO Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, gave the advice on Sunday on its official twitter handle @WHOAFRO.
The UN health agency urged people to clean locally-made face masks properly before wearing again.
According to WHO, the guidance on homemade masks are important for preventing COVID-19 in low-income context.
In a video posted on the twitter account, Guy Mbayo, Technical Officer, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), WHO Regional Office for Africa, said homemade masks were important for African countries.
“WHO has recommended the wearing of medical masks; at the beginning of the crisis, there were not enough; supply chain was already disrupted.
“Member-states and governments have made wearing of face masks mandatory in their own countries; people were prompted to resort to homemade masks,’’ he said.
According to him, the document provides guideline on how to wear them; how to clean them; how to remove them and when to remove them, and much more importantly, how to manufacture them locally.
“The masks do not protect you fully; you still need to observe all the measures that were recommended, like the hand washing with soap and water, and physical distancing.
“When you are removing the mask, don’t allow it to touch your hand; use the elastic to remove it without touching the mask itself,” he said.
The official also advised that the masks needed to be clean on a daily basis.
Meanwhile, the agency said the number of COVID-19 cases in Africa had risen to over 175,000 as at June 6.
“There are over 175,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent, with more than 77,000 recoveries and 4,800 deaths,’’ it said.
WHO said that South Africa, Nigeria and Algeria had the highest reported cases in the continent.
According to the organisation, South Africa has 43,434 cases and 908 deaths, followed by Nigeria with 11,844 confirmed cases and 333 deaths, while Algeria has 9,935 confirmed cases and 690 deaths.
Borussia Dortmund’s Manuel Obafemi Akanji was fined an unspecified amount by the German Football League (DFL) on Friday for failing to wear face mask during a visit from a hair dresser this week.
Also fined was Jadon Sancho.
The DFL said both players had broken the health guidelines that had governed Bundesliga clubs and players since the league restarted amid the COVID-19 pandemic on May 16.
In total, six Dortmund players, including rising star Sancho and Akanji, got their hair cut by the visiting hairdresser, who then asked some of them to take pictures with him.
“It is clear that pro players also need to get their hair cut. But that has to happen in line with the medical and hygiene concept,” the DFL said in a statement.
“The fines are not against the club which is not seen as having a responsibility in this case.”
Bundesliga matches are played without fans and teams in adherence to strict health guidelines that regulate the process and operation of training sessions and games.
The league, with five rounds of matches left in the season, plans to finish by the end of the month.
Sancho also hit the headlines last weekend when he, after scoring, revealed an undershirt with the message ‘Justice for George Floyd’.
George was an unarmed black man who died in Minneapolis after a white U.S. police officer knelt on his neck.
Sancho escaped any sanction after the German Football Association said players were free to show their support for protests over Floyd’s death.
U.S. President Donald Trump finally wore a face mask.
He heeded warnings on Thursday to wear the mask as he visited a Ford factory in Michigan.
The photo of the masked President is now circulating on Twitter, his favourite social media platform.
Meanwhile Trump tweeted early Friday that U.S. flags will fly at half-staff for the next three days to mourn an estimated 100,000 Americans who have died from coronavirus.
“I will be lowering the flags on all Federal Buildings and National Monuments to half-staff over the next three days in memory of the Americans we have lost to the CoronaVirus”, he tweeted.
On Monday, Trump said the flags will be lowered for the men and women in the U.S. Military who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the country.
But as it turned out, lowering flags at half-staff to COVID-19 victims was not Trump’s idea.
It was the idea of Congressional Democratic leaders, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and minority senate leader, Senator Chuck Schumer.
In a joint letter to Trump, they asked for flags at public buildings to be flown at half-staff when the coronavirus death toll hits 100,000 in the USA.
They demanded the gesture to “serve as a national expression of grief so needed by everyone in our country.”
“As we pay our respects to them, sadly, our country mourns the deaths of nearly 100,000 Americans from COVID-19. Our hearts are broken over this great loss and our prayers are with their families,” Pelosi and Schumer wrote.
There was pandemonium in Benin City, Edo State on Saturday, when a combined team of police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps operatives, allegedly beat up a soldier, for not wearing face mask.
The incident occurred Saturday afternoon, at Lagos street, barely 24-hours after the state government shut down the street to all business activities over alleged refusal of traders and residents of the street to comply with the directives to participate in the ongoing screening and testing exercise for Coronavirus, as part of efforts to contain the pandemic.
It was gathered that trouble started when an unidentified military operative who was on the street was asked to put on his face mask.
An eyewitness who declined to mention his name said the soldier who was on military khaki short had an handkerchief on his neck and that his wife did not properly put on her face mask.
“On entering Lagos Street, the soldier and his wife were asked to wear their face mask by the policemen on duty. The soldier brought his ID card to identify himself but the police officer dismissed the ID card as fake.
“The soldier got infuriated when one of the police officer pushed his wife with a gun in a bid to force her to wear the face mask.
“Following the argument that ensued, the policemen descended on the soldier and injured him on the head with the butt of their gun,” he said.
Traders and passers-by were forced to run in different directions, as men of the Nigerian Army who later stormed the area, allegedly shot repeatedly into the air to scare the police and NSCDC officers.
Quick intervention by officers of the Nigerian Army and the State police command, quelled the situation.
The feuding parties were later driven to the nearby Oba Market Police division to resolve the issue.
The State Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor, could not be reached on his mobile for for comment.
