Coronavirus: How Calabar is Responding to Threat

By Ebere Levi

Though the deadly Coronavirus has not arrived Cross River state, residents of the capital, Calabar are not taking chances.

Long before the state government imposed a near- lockdown on the state with the view to shielding it from the virus, Calabar residents had on their own adopted preventive measures, some of which are bizarre and funny.

At a Bush meat joint in Atimbo, a suburb of the capital, a group of clients chatted heartily as they savoured their delicacies over some cups of palm wine while others waited for their orders to be taken.

However, one of the clients who was waiting to be served stood out. Over his nose and mouth was a white handkerchief carefully padded with tissue paper!

Asked why the grotesque look, “this na my own face mask. Mask na Mask”, he quipped.

Keke and Cab drivers in the Calabar Municipality are taking precautionary measures too. For example, before now, most cab drivers in the city crammed six passengers- two at the front seat and four at the back seat-into vehicles that were designed just for four passengers. But the fear of the virus has forced some of them to revert to the normal passenger capacity for their cars.

Some commuters themselves are now refusing to board any cab with more than two passengers.

Few days back, a passenger when alighted from a crowded cab at Etta Agbor RoundAbout, near the University of Calabar, looked up the sky and muttered “God, we are in your hands, Coro is not our portion”

Cross River state Ministry of Health headed by a youthful female Medical Doctor, Beta Edu, has been unrelenting in sensitizing the public about the danger of Coronavirus as well as the various preventive measures.

The awareness campaign has been taken to most parts of the state, including markets.

Some traders at the popular Mariam and Watt markets in Calabar are already adorning face masks and hand gloves respectively.

Meanwhile, in a bid to protect Cross River from the pandemic, the state governor, Sir Ben Ayade Tuesday announced what could pass for a near- Lockdown of the state.

A statement issued on his behalf by Christian Ita, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, quoted governor Ayade as among other measures suspending the local government election scheduled to hold in the state on March 28.

All the entry points into Cross River State (land, air and water) are hereby locked down. Access will be based on passing a thorough screening regime.

All educational institutions in the state, both public and private must shut down by Tuesday , March 24,2020 until further notice.

Civil servants, except those on essential services (medical personnel and revenue officers), should with immediate effect, stay away from work for an initial period of two weeks.

All social, cultural and religious activities are hereby suspended and essential activities must not have a crowd beyond five persons.

Every tricycle (keke) and taxi can carry only one passenger at a time and must have hand sanitizers for use by their passengers.

Buses are henceforth permitted to have only two passengers on a seat with the drivers mandated to sanitize their vehicles after every trip.

All public areas, pubs, bars and restaurants are limited to five customers at a time.

All transport companies must keep a travel manifest for inbound and outbound passengers. They must also provide hand wash stands and hand sanitizers in their buses. Passengers are consequently encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water and sanitize them before boarding.

All Corporate and business organizations in the state must keep visitors registers as well as take the temperature checks of guests and visitors using a non-contact infra-red thermometer. Any guest with high temperature above 38 degrees Celsius must be reported immediately to the COVID-19 emergency center.

Ayade has meanwhile, instructed the Commissioner for Health to immediately set up COVID-19 adhoc monitoring unit to enforce compliance to all preventive measures.