Community transmission: Tension grips FCT residents as 12 more tested Positive with index trace

•Why Aso Rock barred us after Kyari’s burial – Garba Shehu
•Presidency bars journalists who covered burial from State House
•It’s time to decongest IDP camps — UN

ABUJA— Fears of massive community transmission of coronavirus has hit the nation’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, following the discovery of 12 positive cases at Mabushi, a local community in the heart of the city.

On Saturday, 49 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Nigeria, with 12 of the cases in the country’s capital, Abuja.

There had been few cases in Mabushi but the majority of cases uncovered on Saturday were from the village, with health officials now putting the total at 12.

One case was also uncovered at Gishiri village, another low-income but densely populated community in the territory.

None of the identified cases had any recent history of foreign travel or coming in contact with a returnee.

Infectious disease expert warns

An infectious disease expert in the Federal Capital Territory FCT Administration, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the epidemiological situation of the territory was worrisome.

He said: “Due to the fear of community transmission, we had embarked on community active case search. We focused on Mpape due to its proximity to Maitama where we had a lot of cases. Then we went to Gishiri.

‘’We got one positive case. What is worrisome is the situation in Mabushi where we have got 12 positive cases already.”

He said officials were working round the clock to trace all contacts related to the identified cases.

While he praised the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, for his assistance to health workers, the source warned residents against trying to circumvent the rules of the lockdown, describing the COVID-19 pandemic as “an existential threat which must be tackled by all means possible”.

While FCT had 81 confirmed cases as of Saturday night, there were 56 active cases, 23 discharged patients and two fatalities.

The Federal Government had last week, disclosed that it now had evidence of “community transmission” of the virus and stressed the need for Nigerians to continue to obey all containment protocols put in place by the Federal and sub-national governments.

Evidence of community transmission

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire; had said: “We have early evidence of community transmission already which reinforces the urgency of physical distancing, use of face masks particularly where you know you cannot avoid the crowd and also the maintenance of hand and respiratory hygiene as well as strict adherence to measures and regulations as announced by the President yesterday (last week).’’

‘Why we were told to stay away from Aso Rock’

Meanwhile, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said yesterday that all presidential staff who attended the burial of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari on Saturday, were stopped from entering the State House.

The late Chief of Staff, who was buried on Saturday at the Gudu Cemetery in Abuja, died from complications related to the COVID-19 infection and a number of Presidency staff, including Shehu, were in attendance.

The Presidential staff also were at the deceased residence, Defence Guest House, in Maitama, Abuja for a brief prayer session for the deceased.

Garba Shehu explained that stopping those that attended the burial rites from entering the State House was in line with the standard procedures to fight the spread of the dreaded pandemic.

He explained in a series of tweets on his handle @GarShehu: “There is nothing extraordinary about those of us who attended Abba Kyari’s funeral being advised to distance ourselves from the Aso Rock.

“This is in line with the standard rules put in place by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, @NCDCgov and the Federal Ministry of Health. You do these things to stop the spread of #Coronavirus.

“For the most part, the Villa has operated digitally in the last few weeks. So, there is really nothing new to this.”

He had also in a chat earlier on the access denial, said: “It is true. It’s nothing that anyone should be angry about. They were just to obey rules. We have all attended the burial of a close friend in this season, anyone will know that after such occasion, you are meant to proceed on self-isolation. So what happened was standard protocol.

“If you observed, we have mostly been working digitally, most of our works have been done digitally, in observance of the social distance advice.”

Release of bodies of COVID-19 fatalities

Despite the federal government previously announcing that the bodies of COVID-19 victims would not be released to their relatives for burial, the late Chief of Staff, who died in a Lagos hospital on Friday, was flown to Abuja on Saturday for his final rites in accordance with Islamic rites.

There was outrage particularly on the social media on Saturday, as pictures emerged of mourners thronging Kyari’s prayers and burial site without regard for social distancing to check the spread of coronavirus.

But President Muhammadu Buhari has banned all condolence visits to the residence of the late Chief of Staff and even to the Presidency.

The action was to contain the spread of the virus and ensure compliance to the social distancing protocol.

Journalists, others urged to go be on self-isolation

The Presidency also barred journalists covering Aso Rock who attended the burial of the late Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari, to stay away from the Presidential Villa for 14 days.

The respective journalists have been told to self-isolate themselves for two weeks as a precautionary measure.

Recall that some Presidential aides, including the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the National Security Adviser, NSA, Babagana Monguno, Director-General of National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ahmed Rufa’i, among others, were stopped from entering State House on Saturday after attending the burial of the late Chief of Staff.

The Presidency in a statement signed by Attah Esa, Deputy Director, Information, State House, Abuja, advised journalists that attended the burial to observe recommended measures to prevent coronavirus transmission.

The statement titled, “Advisory to State House Correspondents/ Media Staff” also reiterated to mind importance of social distancing protocol.

It read: “As a precautionary measure, all State House correspondents and Media Office Staff who covered/attended the funeral prayer/burial ceremony of the late Chief of Staff, at Defence House and Gudu Cemetery Abuja, respectively, are strongly advised to work from home for the next 14 days.

“Please be careful to observe the recommended measures to prevent the coronavirus transmission, including maintaining physical distancing and good personal hygiene going forward.”

There’s need for joint efforts to decongest IDP camps — UN

Meanwhile, United Nations Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon, has called for joint efforts to decongest IDP camps amid fire incidents and COVID-19 pandemic.

Kallon made the call due to the recent multiple fire outbreaks that devastated the Monguno Waterboard camp for internally displaced persons, IDPs, in northern Borno State on 14, 15 and 18 April and the International Secondary School camp on 16 in the town of Gamboru, Ngala LGA, Borno State, near the border to Cameroon.

In a statement, yesterday in Abuja, Kallon disclosed that at least 15 people lost their lives in the fire incident in Ngala on 16 April, while 15 others were injured.

According to him, seven persons are still treated in a clinic run by aid organisations.

Over 300 shelters were damaged, and a communal shelter hosting 11 families also burned down. More than 8,000 people already displaced by the ongoing crisis once again lost their belongings and shelters.

Aid workers are now working around the clock to mobilise support, such as food, shelter and essential items like mattresses, pots, soap and clothes.

He said: “My heartfelt sympathy goes to the many vulnerable families who are affected. These are the worst fire incidents recorded in camps for internally displaced in the north-east so far this year.

‘’On April 18, another fire broke out in the Waterboard camp in Monguno LGA, which is the third such incident recorded in the camp in a week. Initial assessments indicate 100 shelters were entirely burnt down.

“These tragedies come unfortunately among a series of recurring incidents during the dry season, despite regular awareness-raising efforts made by the humanitarian community in IDP camps,” highlighted the Humanitarian Coordinator.

‘’Around 15 fire outbreaks have been recorded in IDP camps since the beginning of the year affecting more than 15,000 people. As recently as April 14, communities in both Mafa and Monguno LGAs were shocked by massive fires that destroyed shelters.

‘’In Mafa, an elderly person who was sleeping in one of the shelters was burned alive. The risk of fire outbreaks, as well as the spread of disease, in camps for internally displaced persons in Borno State is extremely high due to overcrowding with makeshift and temporary shelters built too closely together.

“I am concerned that we will keep witnessing these recurrent tragedies unless we take urgent measures to jointly address the root cause of the problem.

‘’With the COVID-19 pandemic slowly spreading across the country, I am extremely worried about the 1.8 million IDPs in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states and the rest of the nearly eight million vulnerable people in these conflict-affected states.

‘’Camp decongestion has been a challenge, but it is now a priority. I call on all stakeholders to urgently contribute to efforts being made to decongest camps in respect of people’s rights and dignity.

‘’Together with the state and federal authorities, UN and INGOs are working on an expansion of the IDP camps to mitigate the risk of fire incidents and the rapid spread of diseases like the COVID-19 virus. One in two camps in Borno State are currently overcrowded with nearly 700,000 vulnerable IDPs living in such conditions.

“I have to commend the engagement of Borno State authorities and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs on this issue. It is our duty to do our utmost to protect the most vulnerable from another tragedy, whether it is a fire or the COVID-19 virus.”

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