Ngozi Nwoke, Lagos
With the world on standstill due to the onslaught of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Lagos State Government and the state Ministry of Transportation had responded to the public health crisis by issuing safety guidelines in March to the transportation sector in a bid to curb the upsurge in the State.
The Lagos State Government, in order to combat the further spread of the coronavirus in the State, issued public transport guidelines to operators and passengers to curb further spread of the coronavirus in buses, cabs, motor parks and garages, as well as frequent sanitation exercise in all public transport areas.
The novel coronavirus, which was officially reported in December 2019, in Wuhan province of China, the initial epicentre of the pandemic, has (as of May 2, 2020) killed over 242,646 people globally, while over 3,446,115 infected people have been confirmed in at least 170 countries such as, USA, UK, Italy, South Africa, Australia, Germany, France, Japan, Canada, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Nigeria, and many others, with over 1,102,408 people who have so far recovered from the disease.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control’s(NCDC) latest update on COVID-19 cases in Nigeria has confirmed 2,170 cases, with 35 States, including the FCT, affected and Lagos and Kano having the highest number of cases at 1,006 and 311, respectively. The number of deaths currently stands at 68 people, with 311 people discharged in total.
In line with the safety directives to curtail the fast-spreading disease, the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Frederic Oladeinde, had said in the statement in March that the measures were part of the state government’s efforts to further prevent a state-widespread of COVID-19.
According to him, it is compulsory for all transport operators/companies to sanitise their terminals and garages regularly and continuously at least before and after each trip.
Mr Oladeinde said: “All transport operators are expected to have at the entrance to their respective parks/garages, washing hand equipment with soaps and running water. All operators are expected to have alcohol-based sanitizers in their vehicles for the use of drivers, conductors, and passengers. All operators are not allowed to overcrowd/overload their vehicles at this point, passenger’s spacing must be fully observed because NCDC recommends that at least 2m (5ft) distance is required between anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness.”
The commissioner had directed that there should be no standing in all Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the Lagos Bus Service Limited (LBSL) bus operations. According to him, all commercial buses should be at 60 per cent capacity and not 100 per cent capacity.
“All Air Conditioning System in public transport be put off and all public transport operators/companies must have temperature readers to test each passenger before boarding the bus.”
He disclosed that all commercial buses should be at 60 per cent capacity and not 100 per cent capacity.
“All drivers and conductors should always wear hand gloves and nose guides while in transit and all passengers are also required to sanitise themselves before and after each trip. Passengers are also required to regularly wash their hands with soap and running water before and after each trip,” he added.
Mr Oladeinde instructed that transport operators/companies and passengers should not hesitate to report any suspected case of COVID-19 to the Ministry of Transportation or the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), adding that this would help curb the spread of the disease in the state.
He urged passengers to report any operator/company that failed to comply with these guidelines to the monitoring officer at sight or write to the ministry, stating the Vehicle Registration Number, Park and Time. He also stated that containing the virus remained a joint effort.
Daily Sun observed that passengers at most of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) terminals, scrambled for seats in buses in defiance to the social distancing directive passed by the state government. Also, the regular commercial buses, popularly known as Danfo, carried on with their operations without adhering to the directive of providing alcohol-based sanitizers.
The state government’s directive on social distancing at the parks, which took effect at BRT terminals, was however not welcomed by passengers hurrying to their destinations as some passengers were seen wrestling each other as they jostled to collect tickets from officials.
Reacting to this, Managing Director of Primero, operator of the Ikorodu BRT route, Mr Folu Tinubu, said it was caused by the impatience of passengers, adding that two of the company’s employees were assaulted.
He said: “We have reduced the number of passengers each bus can carry, but the passengers are not patient and are trying to jump the line. We asked them to queue up but instead, they all want to rush and enter the bus. They assaulted two of our workers that were trying to stop them. We need to, as a society, start to follow rules.”
Daily Sun also observed that transport companies in Lagos have started adhering to the government’s restriction on social gatherings and providing passengers with hand sanitisers and other precautionary measures. It was also seen that in some transport terminals, customers’ temperature were tested before entering the buses before embarking on a trip.
At Chisco Transport Company, Jibowu terminal, Lagos, passengers were seen in a long queue as only one passenger was allowed to enter the bus per time, passengers were reduced to three per row in the 42 seater coaster bus to achieve the social distancing. All through such restriction was not observed before now, however, this was in compliance with the state government’s safety policy.
The Chairman, Chisco Group of Companies, Mr Chidi Anyaegbu, MFR, told our reporter that the steps were taken to adhere to the safety directives as ordered by the state government.
He said: “I must commend the Sanwo-Olu-led-administration for their relentless efforts to ensure safety measures are put in place to prevent this deadly virus from spreading in the state. The provision of isolation centres in the state is top-notch and commendable. We as transporters must also support the state government’s efforts by adhering to the safety directives. We must also realise that obeying the directives is also for our own benefit and that of our families.
“I have instructed the issuance of safety kits to all our terminals in the country, not only in our Lagos terminals but all Chisco terminals in the country. We have commenced the disinfection of all our buses and terminals. We have also donated safety kits to all our staff in all subsidiaries, including Villa Angelia Hotel, a subsidiary of Chisco Group of Companies, which is temporarily closed for thorough disinfection and in compliance with the state government’s directives to curb the further spread of the Coronavirus. We always ensure that the wellbeing of our staff and customers’ safety remains paramount.”
Mr Anyaegbu stressed that the pandemic which has threatened the lives of many should serve as a wakeup call for the federal government, legislatures and all stakeholders in providing a functioning world-class medical facility in the country, adding that it is absolutely irresponsible of the government that at this time of crisis, no well-equipped hospital is put in place.
Mr Anyaegbu said: “I feel sorry for the poor masses who are sick and have no means to good healthcare systems. It is extremely irresponsible for a government that cannot boast a fully equipped hospital for her people, especially at this difficult situation. Who would believe that a time like this would come where the rich cannot travel out for medical treatment? Now everyone is affected by the killer disease because the government refused to build hospitals in the country.
“This should be a wakeup call for any responsible government to provide quality healthcare services for the masses. Every government official must at this time begin to make things right, starting from their constituencies, to the local government areas, to the states and the country. It is a shame that with all Nigeria’s rich resources, the government cannot provide basic amenities for her people. May God save us all.”
The passengers, who were impressed with the safety measures taken, expressed that they feel safe to know that all passengers on board are thoroughly screened before given access into the buses. While some of them complained that the screening exercise took longer than expected and was made to wait for hours before being attended to, but they had no choice than wait to be screened.
For Mrs Julian Okoyeike, a regular passenger and Lagos based businesswoman said the chances of people getting infected would reduce if everyone adhered strictly to the safety directives, “I am very impressed that Chisco company carry out the safety screening process every day before embarking on a trip. All passengers are sanitised and asked to watch their hands, that alone gives me a feeling of relief. One thing is to be conscious of the virus, another thing is for everyone around to be safety conscious too. It’s unfortunate that not all passengers are patient enough to wait for the screening exercise because it takes a long time, but we must do it for our safety. I hope all transport companies will emulate this good work knowing it’s for the safety of everyone.” she said.
Also, in the terminal, water, soap and hand sanitisers were provided for passengers before they were allowed into the buses and ticket booking hall. This created a long queue of customers waiting to gain entry into the hall.
Another transport company, God is Good, Ajah terminal in Lagos, also had passengers queuing to be screened before boarding the buses. Passengers were made to wash there hands, thereafter applied the hand sanitizer as they entered the buses. The social distancing was also adhered to as passengers were seen standing 3 feet away from each other as they patiently complied with the safety precautions.
Meanwhile, some commercial parks at Ojota, area of Lagos, were seen carrying out their usual activities without the government’s safety directives. Passengers travelling entered the parks and buses without being screened and sanitised. When the reporter inquired reasons for the noncompliance, the driver who maintained anonymity, disclosed that he is yet to believe the reality and existence of the Coronavirus in the state, “I am a Christian, so I don’t believe there is anything like Coronavirus in Lagos state. The government should show us people who are infected or recovered from the so-called disease. We need proof to believe the story. There is no Coronavirus in Lagos. And as a Christian, I believe that what I don’t know, will not know me. And something must kill a man, whether there is a virus or no virus. That is why I don’t bother to cover my nose or use hand sanitizers,” he said.