The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. osagie Ehanire has re-emphasized that the aim of his Ministry’s COVID-19 response is to ensure that citizens who are vulnerable to COVID-19 are offered protection by prioritizing them for advice on non-pharmaceutical measures like staying home, except for essential activities outside the home, and in such cases, wearing and retaining a mask and avoiding gatherings of persons. He added that the vulnerable will also be prioritized for admission to observation or treatment centers, even if they do not yet have symptoms.
Dr. Ehanire restated this at the PTF-Briefing on COVID-19 held on Thursday, 16th July, 2020.
He stated that for those vulnerable persons, “Going to places of worship should be if their condition permits and the prescribed arrangements have been made, else to pray at home.”
To the Honourable Minister of Health, those vulnerable persons are those with underlying health conditions such as asthma, high blood pressure, kidney and liver diseases and other such co-morbid conditions.
While emphasizing on the non-pharmaceutical measures, besides asking the vulnerable to stay at home, and if they must go out for very essential activities, he said the vulnerable and every other person must wear and retain mask and avoid gatherings of persons,
Dr. Ehanire prescribed the right ways and measure about masking:
- That masks must cover the mouth and nose;
- That a mask pushed under the chin is not effective and should not be under the chin for any reason;
- That we need the mask most, when we are speaking, and it should therefore not be removed to speak; and
- That wearing a face shield alone has not been proven to offer the same protection as a mask and should either be combined with a mask or totally left to healthcare providers, for whom they were actually intended.
The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. osagie Ehanire further urged all shops, businesses, service centers and places authorized to open to the public, to require that their customers and visitors use masks and adhere to these simple measures or else be denied entry.
Signed.
Olujimi Oyetomi, Director, Information, Media & Public Relations.
FMOH.
