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Tag: quarantine

  • TNG Probe: Why Nigerians want proposed Bill on quarantine killed

    TNG Probe: Why Nigerians want proposed Bill on quarantine killed

    Trending in the social media is a petition calling on Nigerians to sign a petition against a Bill proposed by the House of Representatives to repeal the Quarantine Act of 2004.

    The House last Wednesday had moved to repeal the 16 years old law to accommodate the reality of modern day.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) in its tradition if getting to any issue decided to probe deeper as the said proposed repeal of the law is already generating some undercurrent heat that is fast snowballing into a serious issue.

    Despite its good intent the Bill has been variously described as anti-people, unfriendly, unholy and the Bill Gates bill.

    The House on Tuesday speedily passed the Bill Into second reading and immediately referred it to the committee of the Whole for speedy consideration and eventual passage.

    Lawmakers who spoke against the contentious Bill:

    Hon Sergius Ogun, PDP, Edo condemned the bill and begged his colleagues not to support it.
    Hon . Bamidele Salaam believes that the sponsor of the bill meant well, but there are certain areas that need to be amended .

    “How are we sure that immediately after the pandemic we will not go back again about the state of our health Institutions.

    “This is an emergency situation. The way we are sitting in the house have already defined the essence of the bill.

    “Just like we handled the stimulus bill we should do same here, when the bill was about to take off it wasnt easy. Many people did not believe In the bill”, Rep. Salaam Stated

    Hon. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, PDP, Abia in his contribution said:

    “We are all aware of what is awash in the social media.

    “Why am saying this is, I have seen the quarantine act, something bigger than disease control. We need a bill for control of prevention disease.
    What am trying to say is we should not because of what we are trying to do, make a big error.

    “If we are going to do away with public hearing then we must seek for direction and not speed. The bill is a wrong timing.

    “Please let us apply restraint on the speed.” Abonta cautioned.
    But responding Rep Femi Gbajabiamila, promoter of the Bill said that a drastic situation required drastic measure.

    A lawmaker who spoke to TNG under the condition of anonymity said: The most annoying thing about this whole nonesense is that PDP lawmakers who ought to know better seconded and shamelessly supported the bill we all know is anti-Nigerians.

    “If we pass it today what it will translate into is that you and I can be detained without legal recourse, quarantined and compulsorily given any vaccine.

    ‘What we are saying is that the Quarantine Act as it is has enough powers to quarantine anybody why give it absolute powers.

    ‘They brought a a 47 page bill and wanted it passed in one plenary to achieve what and for what purpose, the Rep queried.

    ” If this Bill is passed it will be the fastest bill passage in the entire universe.

    The Bill was passed into second reading by the House and it may not unergo the mandatory public hearing as stipulated by law.

    Senator Dino Melaye in a video clip that has gone viral equally condemned the move by the House without mincing words.

    See video below:

  • German Chancellor, Merkel in quarantine over Coronavirus

    German Chancellor, Merkel in quarantine over Coronavirus

    Angela Merkel, German Chancellor has gone into self-isolation after a doctor who administered a vaccine on her tested positive for coronavirus.

    Merkel’s spokesman said the German chancellor, who is 65, was informed about the doctor’s test shortly after holding a news conference Sunday announcing new measures to curb the spread of the virus, AP reports.

    According to her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, Merkel had received a precautionary vaccine Friday against pneumococcal infection.

    She said in a statement that Merkel would undergo “regular tests” in the coming days and continue with her work from home for the time being.

    Merkel had earlier expressed her gratitude to Germans who were following the rules on social distancing, saying it was important to remain at least 1.5 meters (about five feet) apart to reduce the likelihood of infection.

  • Cristiano Ronaldo in quarantine as teammate tests positive

    Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly in quarantine in his Madeira, Portugal home after his Juventus team-mate Daniele Rugani tested positive for coronavirus.

    Italian defender Daniele Rugani tested positive to the virus making him the second professional footballer to get infected in Germany after Hannover 96 defender Timo Hubers was diagnosed.

    Rugani wrote on Twitter: ‘You will have read the news and that’s why I want to reassure all those who are worrying about me, I’m fine.

    ‘I urge everyone to respect the rules, because this virus makes no distinctions! Let’s do it for ourselves, for our loved ones and for those around us.’

    Another teammate, Miralem Pjanic posted a celebratory picture after the game showing Ronaldo and Rugani celebrating together with other teammates in their dressing room.

  • Lagos quarantines four children, two others for Coronavirus

    Lagos quarantines four children, two others for Coronavirus

    The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said four children of the same family and their teacher who came from the United States have been quarantined for Coronavirus.

    Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi at a news conference in Alausa, Lagos on Wednesday disclosed that another man from the United Kingdom was also quarantined.

    Abayomi disclosed that the four children and their teacher were quarantined because they had contact with a Coronavirus patient.

    The commissioner said the four children and their teacher were admitted into the isolation centre in Yaba two days ago to see if they would develop symptom of Coronavirus after they had contact with a patient.

    He said the first test had been conducted on them and that they tested negative, but added another test would be conducted within 48 hours for a final confirmation.

    Abayomi also said a man from the United Kingdom who had been quarantined would have test conducted on him today to ascertain his status.

    He said the state government was carrying out regular tests on people to ascertain their coronavirus status almost on daily basis.

    The commissioner also disclosed that the government had established contact with the two people declared wanted, who were in the Turkish Airline with the index case, an Italian.

    He said immediately the media announced the two people declared wanted, people gave out their contacts immediately and that they had been reached.

    On the index case, Abayomi said the Italian was feeling very okay, but said he was still secreting the virus, adding that once he tested negative, another test would be conducted within two days for a second negative confirmation and that once that had been done, he would be released.

    “The Index case is very well, no symptom, but test shows he is still secreting the virus, but going down, the virus has to go to zero point before he can be released,” he said.

    Abayomi added that there was no specific treatment for coronavirus, saying that most of the drugs being used were HIV drugs to reduce the virus from growing fast.

    “There are some drugs recommended for coronavirus. What we are waiting for is for the immune system of the Italian to clear the virus. He is actually better, he can’t leave until the virus is completely clear and zero. While he is better, he is not better for community yet; we cannot release him because he may affect others. The day he is negative, we will wait for two more days and if he gets a second negative, we will release him,” he said.

    “We are satisfied with the second coronavirus patient, we will repeat his test tomorrow and based on the test, we will know the way forward,” he added.

    On hand sanitisers, the commissioner frowned at those hoarding it, saying that the Ministry of Health would soon roll out its sanitisers into the market.

    “We frown against those hoarding hand sanitisers, we are actually making it right now and we are going to push it into the market right now. We have started already and we are going to push it out,” he said.

  • Coronavirus: Dozens trapped as quarantine hotel collapses

    Coronavirus: Dozens trapped as quarantine hotel collapses

    About 70 people have been trapped after a hotel being used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in the Chinese city of Quanzhou collapsed.

    About 35 people have been pulled from the rubble of the five-storey Xinjia Hotel, officials say.

    Videos posted online show emergency workers combing through the building’s wreckage in the southern province of Fujian.

    It is not clear what caused the collapse or if anyone has died.

    It happened at about 11:30 GMT.

    Chinese state media says the hotel was being used as a quarantine facility monitoring people who had had close contact with coronavirus patients.

    The hotel reportedly opened in 2018 and had 80 guest rooms.

    One woman told the Beijing News website that relatives including her sister had been under quarantine there.

    “I can’t contact them, they’re not answering their phones,” she said.

    “I’m under quarantine too [at another hotel] and I’m very worried, I don’t know what to do. They were healthy, they took their temperatures every day, and the tests showed that everything was normal.”

     

  • Coronavirus: I’m on self-isolation, not quarantine – NCDC boss reacts

    The head of Nigeria’s disease control agency, NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu, has said he is on self-isolation and not quarantine as said by the health minister.

    TheNewsGuru(TNG) had earlier reported the statement of the health minister, Osagie Ehanire, when he appeared before senators to speak on Nigeria’s preparedness for the coronavirus.

    Mr Ehanire said Mr Ihekweazu’s recent trip to China necessitated the ‘quarantine’

    However, in his reaction, Mr Ihekweazu said he was only observing the precautionary self-isolation as required of people coming from a high-risk country.

    On his Twitter handle, the NCDC chief said he is well and will be continuing his duty from home for the next 14 days.

    “I am well and have continued my duties from home since my return from China as part of the WHO-China Mission on COVID19”

    He said “the rumour that I am sick or in quarantine is obviously false. I look forward to returning to the office after 14 days of self-isolation.”

    Self-isolation is one of the precautionary measures recommended in the NCDC public health advisory for travellers from countries with ongoing transmission of Covid-19.

    It advised that such people should proceed on 14 days self-isolation whether well or unwell.

    The NCDC in a statement Tuesday evening further explained its principal’s trip to China.

    According to the statement released by the health agency, Mr Ihekweazu was one of the 25 national and international experts deployed to China by the WHO between February 16 and 24.

    The mission met with counterparts in China to understand their response to COVID-19 and how global communities can learn from it

    “The Director-General is adhering to the protocol to protect himself and public.

    “He has been tested his return, since his return, and has since shown no symptoms of the Covid-19 infection. He remains in good health,” the agency said.

    Mr Ihekweazu had earlier tweeted two day ago that “one of the most important missions I‘ve had the honour to be part of is WHO-China Mission on COVID19.”

    He said lessons learnt from working with some of the most hardworking experts in China, WHO and other countries will guide Nigeria as it responds to its first COVIDD-19 case.