Highlights of Covid-19 Regulations Signed by President Buhari

In a bid to stop the rising cases of coronavirus in the country specifically in Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu reeled out safety measures. To boost measures taken to control the virus, President Buhari has signed the COVID-19 Health Protection Regulations 2021 Policy. 

Highlights of the Covid-19 Regulations

• No gathering of more than 50 people in an enclosed space, except for religious purposes which shall not exceed 50% capacity of the space.
• No person shall be allowed within the premises of a market, mall, supermarket, shop, restaurant, hotel, event centre, garden, leisure park, recreation centre, motor park, fitness centre or any other similar establishment without using a facemask and duly washed his or her hands.
• Managers of hostels, boarding houses, nursing homes, correctional centres, remand homes, holding cells, military detention facilities, and such centres for care and custody of people, shall ensure compliance with the provisions of these regulations.
• Managers of such facilities shall ensure that suspected cases of Covid-19 are promptly and appropriately separated from others and are reported to medical officers of the State Ministry of Health for necessary action.
• All banks shall develop a schedule for regular cleaning of buttons and surfaces of Mantrap Entrance Doors, ATM machines and other commonly used areas.

Treatment Protocols

• All public secondary and tertiary health facilities shall designate a space or holding bay for the initial triage or assessment of suspected persons with COVID-19 in line with the approved protocol for case management.
• All public secondary and tertiary health facilities shall establish sample collection centres, where test samples from suspected cases can be collected and transmitted to an accredited testing laboratory in the State.
• People confirmed to have tested positive to COVID-19 by an NCDC accredited laboratory, may not refuse isolation and or admission to a designated health establishment for management of the disease.

In the course of the week, the Federal Government announced the extension of Phase 3 of the eased lockdown by one month with effect from Tuesday, January 26, 2021, while offenders of these regulations risk six months imprisonment or being fined.