Without any oital of doubt, the year,2019 is one that the people of the planet earth will not forget in a hurry, for what it represents for humanity, particularly those in Wuhan in China.
The year left man with bitter pill to swallow in the form of coronavirus, the infamous COVID-19 that is shaking the earth to its foundation.
COVID-19 can be likened to a hungry lion caged but fate made it possible for it to bolt out of captivity with unabated verocious roaring and killing of other animals with no end in sight for the harvoc it is causing the world.
The disease, which has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health organisation (WHO), has left almost all the world leader groping in the dark as to what to do to halt the beast.
Nigeria has reduced the pump price of fuel from N145 to N130 per litre as the as world price of oil went down to $22 barrel in the international market, cutting down budget by about N1 trillion, among other measures, following 8 cases of covid19 in the country.
The foot print of Covid 19 on the sound of history of the contemporary world has caught most leaders panicking, in view of its frightening and soaring statistics of devastation to public health and the resources.
This is so, especially in the globsl oil market which has witnessed abysmal low price for as low as $33 and some cents in recent times.
As if this is not enough, the aviation sector of many countries has been shut down for the fear of coronavirus among other drastic measures to check the spread of the highly contagious and deadly disease.
The picture of coronavirus 2019 is such a gloomy one that every human being would love to hate without hesitation.
So far,the world has recorded no fewer than 201,436 cases of COVID-19 with 8,006 deaths, according to data aggregated by the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering’s Centres for Systems Science and Engineering.
The novel disease has touched over 80 countries of the with frightening statistics regarding deaths.
Duaglobalnews, an online medium which monitors development on the pandemic disease in Lokoja in North centra Nigeria, qoted the centres as disclosing that an estimated 82,000 people had, however, recovered from the disease.
The centres further revealed that U.S.had 6,496 cases and 114 deaths in 18 states.
According to the centres,Western Europe, the epicentre of the outbreak, continues to rise with Spain having 11,826 cases and 533 deaths; Germany, 9,877 cases and 26 deaths.
France is said to have 7,696 cases and 148 deaths. Italy, 31,506 cases and 2,503 deaths, as of Tuesday afternoon.
Iran had 16,169 cases and 988 deaths, also as of Tuesday, while South Korea’s latest tally reported 8,413 cases and 84 deaths, the centres said among other developments globally.
Meanwhile, the Senate on Wednesday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to personally address nation on the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
The Upper chamber, in its resolution at the plenary, also urged the Federal Government to take more drastic precautionary measures against the spread of the disease.
The lawmakers noted that bigger countries were addressing their citizens on the disease,adding that “If the president’s addresses the nation,”Nigeria will take this matter more seriously.”
The Senate, however, said the federal government had been trying in this direction but that government should take more drastic precautionary measures.
These measures, the red chamber further urged should include but not limited to travel ban, outright ban of some countries, tighter border controls, restricted gathering.
Others,the Senators, said should also involve stringent checking of people coming into the country by ensuring a compulsory quarantine for two weeks.
They also urged the government and Nigerians to keep abreast of all the measures and development taking place worldwide.
The lawmakers called for opening of a testing centre in each of states of the frderation and prevent foreign airlines from taking flights from high-risk countries to Nigeria.
They also for the shuting down of all International airports in the country, except Abuja and Lagos, to ensure proper testing and checks. Other resolutions of the Senate include:
“Federal Government to suspend the issuance of Visa on arrival.
“Federal, State, Local Governments and departments of public health to ensure that all public health requirements are properly monitored in accordance with health procedures.
“Federal Government to ensure an immediate meeting of the members of National Council of Health to harmonise their responses to the COVID-19 and set up a special intervention fund to tackle the COVID-19.”
The pieces of advice from the highest legislative structure of the country notwithstanding, the Federal government says it is not relenting effort to mitigate the spread of the disease in the country.
In this regard, government has raised a taskforce, headed by the Minister of Health, Dr Osage Ehanire as part of conscious effort to ensure that COVID-19 has no much sour effects of the health of people.
The online medium recalls that besides Lagos state which has two cases of COVID-19, Katsina state joined on Wednesday,by announcing its first suspected covid19.
The state government said the case was from a patient who returned to the state from Malaysia recently.
Christian and Muslim clerics in Lokoja are not relenting in their sermons as they also stressed the need for personal hygiene as well as getting closer to God, to arrest the pandemic disease.
Duaglobalnews correspondent, who visited mosques and churches in the area; to sample the views of the religious leaders reports that the need for the followers of the two predominant religions in the country featured prominently in their sermons.
Medical experts say the COVID-19 stays in human body between 2 and 14 days before manifesting into disease.
Recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), advised bank customers to give preference to cashless transaction with their banks, to minimise the rate at which they touch notes to curb the spread of the disease.
In the final analysis, experts believe that personal hygiene has a crucial to play in the crusade against the spread of coronavirus.
They also emphasised the need for researchers to tighten their belts in getting to the remote cause of the dreadful disease, with a view to finding lasting solution to it.
