CORVID-19 (Corona Virus): I Hope That The Nigerian Bar Association Is Relentless On How No Member Shall Contract The Said Deadly Disease?! By Hameed Ajibola Jimoh Esq.

The viral disease called Corona Virus-herein after referred to as CORVID-19- which was first discovered in China has been recorded and confirmed in Nigeria of recent and almost every citizen of the country who have been fervently praying to God not to have it recorded in Nigeria has continued to panic over the spread of the said deadly disease having experienced a kind of deadly disease just not long a go known as Ebola Virus disease and being currently embattled by another deadly disease known as Lassa fever and for the fact that there is no vaccine for its prevention except prevention and being quarantined in the medically managed location provided for that purpose for as long as necessary. This paper is of the compassionate call on the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association- herein after referred to as the NBA- to continue with immediate effect, to sensitise its members at both the national level and the branch levels across the nation and to create budgetary allocations for this purpose so as to ensure that no lawyer-member in Nigeria contracts any of these deadly diseases. Most importantly, considering the current bar elections almost at hand and the Annual Conference of the Association which might be affected by these deadly diseases if adequate necessary preventive means are not deployed either by the government or by the government in collaboration by the NBA for its members. This effort is one of those ways that I consider that the NBA cares for the welfare of its members.

According to the World Health Organisation-herein after referred to as WHO-, as contained on its website ‘https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus’, Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people.  Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans. Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.’.

Also, according to https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/28/coronavirus-found-in-sub-saharan-africa-as-who-says-spread-could-get-out-of-control, ‘Nigeria confirms first coronavirus case in sub-Saharan Africa edited by Jason Burke Africa correspondent and Alison Rourke on Fri 28 Feb 2020 12.03 GMT, First published on Fri 28 Feb 2020 05.30 GMT, ‘A Port Health Service staff member stands next to a thermal scanner as passengers arrive at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria. An Italian citizen who worked in Lagos is the first person with coronavirus to be identified in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigerian officials said the case involved an Italian citizen who entered the country on 24 February on a Turkish Airlines flight from Milan via Istanbul. The virus has proliferated around the globe over the past week, emerging in every continent except Antarctica, prompting many governments and businesses to try to stop people travelling or gathering in crowded places. Switzerland became the latest country to announce drastic measures on Friday, saying all events with more than 1,000 participants would be suspended until 15 March. The ban forced the cancellation of next week’s Geneva international motor show – a major fixture on the global car industry calendar. The Nigerian case is just the third to be confirmed in Africa, something that has puzzled health specialists given the continent’s close ties to China. According to Nigerian officials, the Italian man stayed in a hotel near the airport on the evening of 24 February, then continued to his place of work in neighbouring Ogun state. He was treated on 26 February at his company’s medical facility before health practitioners there called government biosecurity officers, who transferred him on 27 February to a containment facility in Yaba, Lagos. He was clinically stable with no serious symptoms, authorities said. This month the World Health Organization warned that porous borders, a continuing flow of travellers and poorly resourced healthcare systems meant the risk of an outbreak across Africa was “very, very high” and raised significant concerns about the ability of “fragile health systems” to cope. In recent weeks testing regimes and isolation facilities have been reinforced and there has been work on public messaging. “Nigeria has dramatically improved its ability to manage the outbreak of a major pandemic since the Ebola scare in west Africa in 2014,” Folasade Ogunsola, the professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Lagos, wrote on the Conversation website. “Any of the lessons from keeping the country free of Ebola have informed the steps taken since the news of the coronavirus epidemic first broke.” There is anxiety in many countries, despite reinforced protective measures. In Kenya there has been a backlash against authorities who allowed the first direct flight from China in two weeks. The high court ordered flights from China to be temporarily suspended. In other developments on Friday:

• Officials confirmed 20 new cases in France in 24 hours, after President Emmanuel Macron warned on Thursday that the country was on the brink of an epidemic. In Italy the death toll rose to 17.
• About 1,000 people were in quarantine in Germany’s most populous state, as the number of confirmed cases in Europe’s biggest economy exceeded 50.
• Lithuania and New Zealand reported their first confirmed cases.
• The first case was confirmed in Wales, taking the total in the UK to 19.
• China recorded 44 more deaths and 327 new confirmed cases, as the spread of the virus continued to slow in the country.
• South Korea announced 571 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 2,337, by far the largest outside China.
• Californian health officials said they were monitoring 8,400 people for symptoms after their arrival on domestic flights.
• Australian doctors warned the public health system could be overwhelmed in the event of a pandemic, a day after the government launched its emergency response programme.

The spread of the virus prompted investors to take decisive action on Friday, when global markets plummeted again. The Dow Jones had its biggest one-day fall on Thursday, plunging 1,190 points, or 4.4%, with analysts warning the virus could cause as much damage as the 2008-09 global financial crisis. Shares followed suit in the Asian trading session on Friday, while Brent crude was poised to dip below $50 a barrel for the first time in four years. Donald Trump was upbeat about the virus for a second day, saying on Thursday night that US agencies were doing a “fine job” and in the US and China, cases of Covid-19 were going down. But where the Dow led, Asian markets followed, with markets in Australia, China, Japan and South Korea all posting heavy losses. Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, pledged to protect the economy, as the Japanese island of Hokkaido declared a state of emergency and urged all residents to stay home this weekend. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, with 190 million people and numerous air links around the continent and beyond. “Given these recent developments globally and in Africa, it is not unlikely that we will have importation of Covid-19 to South Africa,” that country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases said on Friday. Separately, South Africa said two citizens who had been working on the Princess Diamond cruise ship had the virus and would remain in Japan for treatment. South Africa plans to evacuate more than 130 citizens from Wuhan city in China, where the outbreak began. Officials did not say when that would happen.’.

Furthermore, it has been reported that the Saudi Arabia authority has closed the two holiest shrines of Islam to foreign travellers and banned pilgrims from entering the country as fears surrounding the coronavirus outbreak continue to grow in the Middle East.

Also, it was reported via -https://www.rferl.org/a/coronavirus-hits-iranian-vice-president-other-officials-as-disease-continues-to-spread/30460500.html- as follows ‘A vice president, a deputy health minister, a former envoy to the Vatican, the head of a medical university, and at least four parliament members are among the Iranian officials who have been infected with the coronavirus in recent days. The increasing number of officials testing positive for the virus has raised questions about the management of the outbreak in Iran and whether officials are heeding safety measures to protect themselves amid the disease’s outbreak in the country that according to the latest official figures has killed 34 people.’.

Therefore, considering the rising cases of these deadly viruses, I am of the firm view that it is not out of place for the leadership of the NBA at both the national and Branches levels to sensitise and educate members more on the said viruses and to assure members of its determination and commitment to liaise with the government in a bid to find lasting solutions to these diseases and to protect members from contracting any of those viral diseases using every means either its meetings or other means to reach out to its members.

Finally, it is my hope and belief that this step advised by this paper will be given urgent action by the NBA and I pray to God Almighty to continue to protect us all in Nigeria and to help with immediate cure and or vaccine in fighting against all of these viral diseases! Aamiin!

Email: hameed_ajibola@yahoo.com