COVID-19 second wave: Anambra shuts nightclubs

The Anambra government has banned nightclub activities throughout the state for one month.

Don Adinuba, the state commissioner for information and public enlightenment, in a statement, said the ban takes effect from December 23, 2020.

He noted that the ban is in response to reports of increasing incidences of COVID-19 in various parts of the world.

According to him, a nightclub is a “super spreader of COVID-19”, as it is a place where people come into close contact.

“Our people are returning from these places with high incidences of COVID-19 to celebrate the Christmas and New Year season with their families, friends, kindred, villages and towns and contribute to numerous development projects and programmes,” he said.

“The Government is, therefore, obliged to act swiftly. We must do everything to avoid a situation where a lockdown will be inevitable.

” The suspension of activities at night clubs is the first in a series of measures which the Anambra State government will have to take to protect our people from the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic which seems to be in its second wave in Nigeria.

“Our people are, once again, reminded of the imperative to observe a social or physical distance of six metres, including during religious services. They have to wear a mask which covers their nostrils and mouth anytime they are out of their houses, because the nose and mouth are two orifices through which coronavirus enters our system.

“The need to wash our hands regularly with running water and soap for at least twenty seconds cannot be overemphasised. The same goes for the need to apply sanitisers on our hands when they are not visibly dirty, otherwise soap will be better to use to wash our hands.

“The Government and people of Anambra State have been exemplary so far in the fight against COVID-19. We need to display greater dedication in the campaign against the second wave of this highly contagious disease. Any person with an unusual headache and fever or loses the sense of taste or the sense of smell is advised to proceed immediately to the local government headquarters where trained officers will collect his or her samples for a COVID-19 test because fever and headache are not always symptoms of malaria or any other common illness.

“Both testing for the pandemic and the treatment are free in Anambra State.  Early detection often results in successful management of the case.

“Our people have to bear in mind that any person diagnosed with the disease need not be treated in any of our protective care centres, otherwise known as isolation centres. Such a person can be treated at home. The Anambra State Ministry of Health has not lost any of the COVID-19 patients treated at home.”

He explained that residents also have a duty to go the extra mile to make the state “the safest place in West Africa in every sense”.

“Let us attend only functions which are absolutely necessary this Christmas and New Year season. Otherwise, let us stay at home and stay safe,” he added.