By Francis Ogwo
Plans are underway by the Federal Government of Nigeria to disinfect schools nationwide as a measure of containment of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.
This was part of the speech of the Minister of Environment, Muhammad Mahmood, at the Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja on Monday.
According to him, the ministry would be getting a database of the schools across the country from the Ministry of Education.
“We are initiating a programme of decontaminating and disinfecting our schools before they open.
“Because subsequently, in the phases (partial lift of coronavirus lockdown), I believe we will get to that point when we start opening schools.
“So we will be liaising with the Federal Ministry of Education to make sure we have the needed data to carry out the exercise.”
The time of the exercise was not disclosed by the Minister, but sources say the Ministry had been working on plans to get the schools safe for students and prevent spread in schools.
The Minister said he conducted a video conference with Environmental Health Sanitation officers all over the country on COVID-19 response issues and solutions, while adding that special attention is being paid to rural areas with a view to getting them more aware.
“Also in attendance was a representative of the World Health Organisation, the purpose of which is to build additional capacity and to reiterate adherence to the guidelines in the response to COVID-19,” he added.
“Also, it was to make sure that the State levels are going down to the local governments. In other words, this video conference being the first one, will be held at intervals and we will cascade it down to the local governments in order to build capacity for continuous advocacy on the containment of COVID-19,” hconcluded.
The Federal Ministry of Education had in the wake of the virus outbreak, ordered the immediate closure of tertiary institutions, secondary and primary schools nationwide to contain the spread.
