Figuring out how the coronavirus spreads and how government should respond is incredibly complex. But when it comes to responding to the current crisis, the basic advice for leaders is simple: tell the truth.
It is a known fact, Kogi State is free of Coronavirus in principle, the practical reality of it is only Baba God that can tell us the state of affairs of the masses. This is not enough justification not to test everyone for possible symptoms. Many a man are sneaking in and out of the state overnight through a well formed by-pass road around the supposed close borders. There are cases of some persons eloping from isolation centers particularly from the Federal Capital Abuja to Kogi State.
A robust system of contact tracing and isolation is the only thing that can prevent an outbreak and a resulting lockdown from recurring. An individual who tests positive, the public health infrastructure needs to be able to determine whom that person has been in close contact with, find those people, and have them go into isolation or quarantine until it’s established they aren’t infected, too.
We will need to add serological testing, which is different from the viral detection going on now. This type of testing looks for antibodies in the blood that our bodies created to fight the infection, not the infection itself. These tests can be much cheaper and faster than the ones we’re currently using to detect the virus in sick people or waiting for it to happen before reacting.
The onus lies on a pragmatic, creative and innovative leader to initiate an idea with intentional value for every citizen to feel better, hopeful in times of pandemic and uncertainty. Perhaps, the serological testing is going on across the state now. Such singular act could preferentially allow those who are antibody positive and no longer infectious to return to work first or go about their normal businesses.
The point is, we will NOT remain on lockdown forever though, that we are nowhere even near accomplishing any of these criteria. Opening up before then will be met with a resurgence of the virus. Given these devastating potential consequences, it is ethically questionable to bar people from working without offering a means to support their basic needs. I am yet to see any palliative measures put in place by Kogi State government to cushion the obvious hunger virus creeping in gradually.
People are more likely to disobey the law rather than stay at home and go hungry.
I can say without fear of contradiction, that there is an urgent need in Kogi State for an aggressive mass sensitization/awareness campaign on COVID-19. The discipline is very straightforward: Identify the few things that people most need to know and figure out how to explain them in clear, trustworthy terms. Timely, honest communication from a source, an audience, particularly people at the grassroot deems credible is essential to containing fear during an epidemic. Hence our government have the tough job of explaining risk and telling people how to act without also seeding alarm.
The policy of giving people concrete, detailed actions to take can help reduce panic, anxiety, stress emotional infection and overreaction when a new threat emerges. When you tell people they can protect themselves simply by washing their hands, it seems an inadequate action. To make the matter worse, we are in a country where many of us cannot separate physical distancing from social distancing going by what is happening in Churches, Mosque, Ceremonies, burials and so forth.
Our people need to know that face mask cannot replace social distancing. Alomo Bitters, tiny bottle of Alcho cannot cure Corona Virus. We need to sensitize our people – What to do in case somebody in the family gets sick? Whether they need hospitalization or home car, stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom and ensure not to share any dishes or other household items and to regularly clean surfaces like counters, doorknobs, toilets and tables. Our people needs to know practicing safe health increases not only the people, but boost the economy of the state as well
In an interview with an Environmental Health Officer who spoke with me on condition of anonymity, the officer pointedly said: “some professionals are nowhere to be found in some hospitals let alone to talk about drugs. In short, as far as waste management is concern it is zero. According to World Health Organization (WHO) specifications, it stipulates that one Environmental Health Services Officers to 8 thousands population. And in some Local Governments, you will not even see up to 5 environmental Health Officer taking charge of over 8 thousand or 25 thousand population.
So, there is a problem. I am yet to find a single health facility in Kogi State where we have incinerator for management of clinical waste. I am talking about hospital waste which is completely different from common waste.
Barrack Obama said; “Speak the truth. Speak it clearly. Speak it with compassion. Speak it with empathy for what folks are going through. The biggest mistake any [of] us can make in these situations is to misinform, particularly when we’re requiring people to make sacrifices and take actions that might not be their natural inclination”.
The former President’s remarks don’t apply just to politics. They’re also essential advice for anyone leading through dark times, including people at the helm of affairs.
A negligible number of leaders will be able to avoid making tough decisions and extraordinary demands of their workforce in the current crisis. The way to do that humanely is not to sugarcoat the truth or put off speaking it for as long as possible. It’s to respect people enough to give it to them straight.
If you doubt this wisdom, just look at how New York governor, Andrew Cuomo has won rave reviews (as well as the unexpected status of the internet’s newest crush) for his unvarnished but human press conferences. Then contrast that with the confusion the current administration has sown with its wild seesawing between unwarranted optimism and chastened seriousness.
Let both of these real-world examples and President Obama serve as a reminder that, while the temptation to keep spirits up with optimistic spin may be high, you’ll actually earn more trust — as well as a more coordinated response — from your people – I mean the citizen if you tell them the truth (though there’s no need to be a jerk when delivering bad news, either.
– Inah Stephen Eyiene,
Lokoja, Kogi State.
