Covid19: Goodbye to face masks.
2 min read
Wearing of face masks as a protective measure against Covid19 will soon be a thing of the past in Nigeria as new measures are coming up to adjust the restrictions among Nigerians. The Federal Government and the Ministry of Health have been working on the new rules and how to effectively achieve the relaxations. In Ghana, a vibrant West African country, it was reported last week that the government has relaxed its Covid19 restrictions, thereby becoming the latest African country to make the bold move. This move was initiated by the government of Ghana as a result of the fall in the rising cases of the Corona Virus infections. Based on the move, Ghanaians are reported to be on a serious lookout for the government to open the economy.
President Nana Akufo-Addo on March 27 addressed the nation on television where he announced that those who have been fully vaccinated can resume their outdoor functions and travelers into the country would no longer be requested to take Covid19 tests.
Back in Nigeria, The Federal Government of Nigeria has also taken a similar step. The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 last week announced that the mandatory use of face masks is now optional among Nigerians going to public places. This is as a result of low cases of infections that have been recorded in the country since January 2022.
In recognition and reaction towards these measures, the World Health Organization has advised that the entire exercise should be done with caution. The global health governing body disclosed recently that about 22 African countries have stopped contact tracing of infected persons and close to 21 countries no longer require any form of quarantine for incoming travelers.
A look in Imo State, especially in the Orlu Zone area of the state, the relaxation of the restrictions on Covid19 may mean little or nothing to many. The reason for this is that the people in this geographical location especially in many local government areas hardly took the wearing of face masks seriously. As at 2020, several people considered the wearing of face masks as laughable and questioned the existence of the pandemic. As nature would have it, the infection in Africa failed to secure a warm reception from Africa geography. The Covid19 trauma brought a lot of businesses down and created some businesses as well. As it stands now, the business of selling face masks will drastically “relapse”. Be that as it may, Nigerians are happy to announce goodbye to face masks.
