FG asks churches, mosques, others to submit guidelines for reopening

Published May 22, 2020

Kamarudeen Ogundele, Leke Baiyewu, Samson Folarin, Olaleye Aluko and Tobi Aworinde

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire,  on Thursday said COVID-19 patients, who spent a long period at isolation centres were at the risk of depression.

Ehanire, who stated this in Abuja at the press conference of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, said government planned to deploy psychologists in isolation centres to take care of such patients.

At the press conference, the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu,  said the task force was reluctant to adopt home treatment it once proposed because of conditions under which Nigerians live.

He also asked professional groups and  faith-based organisations, including churches and mosques, to submit guidelines for reopening to the NCDC to review and advise.

But explaining effects of long treatment on some patients, the health  minister stated, “On the mental health issue of those in isolation, who have stayed a little bit longer, some people do get a little bit of mental depression. This mental health issue is under consideration. It (a policy) is also being developed in states to have  psychologists  create things to engage those in isolation.”

He also said  the  Federal Government had intervened in the  sit-at-home protest embarked upon on Wednesday by the Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, following harassments  by the  police, who were enforcing a nationwide  curfew imposed by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

The minister stated, “With regard to the  industrial action by doctors in Lagos, I spoke with the NMA Chairman of the Lagos Chapter on Wednesday to dissuade the doctors from the planned sit-at-home protest in the state, and I listened to their complaints too on harassment at security check points.”

The health minister said the Federal Government’s team sent to Cross River State on  Monday had returned and its report stated that there was no confirmed case yet in the state.

Besides Cross River State, Kogi State has not recorded any COVID-19 case, but the NCDC  officials, who were sent to the North-Central state went back to Abuja without accomplishing their mission following the insistence of the state government that they must be in isolation for 14 days.

On Thursday, the minister  noted that an analysis of the 200 COVID-19 deaths recorded so far in the country revealed a 70-30 per cent ratio for males and females.