. Publicity On Covid-19 Declining, Says Expert
By Taofeek LAWAL
Nigerians have been urged to adhere strictly to Covid-19 prevention protocols to forestall the spread of the pandemic in the country and to guide against the second wave spread of the novel disease according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The advice was given during a webinar programme titled: “Addressing Poor Adherence to COVID-19 Prevention Guidelines” organized by a non governmental organization, Widows and Orphans Empowerment Organization (WEWE) with the support of USAID E-WASH (Effective Water Sanitation and Hygiene Services.
Contrary to the beliefs of many Nigerians that the Covid-19 pandemic no longer exist in the country, they have been urged to stay informed on the latest updates and messages on Covid-19 prevention by following information from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Federal and States Ministry of Health and other related agencies.
Speaking on the topic “Poor Adherence To Covid-19 Prevention Guidelines: The Challenges It Poses To All, Head, Risk Communication NCDC, Dr Yahaya Disu, said the workshop could not have come at the right time because the publicity being given to Covid-19 has been declining in recent times and called on the media to continue to report the pandemic.
Dr Disu said there is also misinformation about the pandemic as people no longer believe about its existence in Nigeria. He said the fact that people do not feel at risk anymore and do not comply with Covid-19 procedures anymore is worrisome.
He expressed concern about community transmission of the pandemic with the expected mass return of Nigerians from across the globe to celebrate the festive season at home and advised that physical or social distancing, hand hygiene and wearing of face mask still remain the best prevention tools against contracting the Covid-19 pandemic.
The NCDC Head Risk Communication gave reasons for the poor perception of the pandemic which he said are policy, communication and perception related and which he listed as distraction from palliatives, poor communication from local government level, misinterpretation of lockdown ease, impact of misinformation, messaging fatigue and apathy on the part of the citizens.
“The publicity on Covid-19 has been declining but we need the media to continue to report the pandemic so Nigerians will know it is still with us. People do not feel at risk and do not comply with Covid-19 protocols anymore and it is worrisome. Despite the ongoing efforts to produce vaccines, mask wearing, hand washing, and physical distancing still remain the three best tools to fight Covid-19 and it is very important to go for testing to prevent the spread.”
“At individual level, we must protect ourselves, support one another and follow advice provided by NCDC, Ministry of Health and WHO. It is not the time to relax and we must stay at home if there is no need to travel. We are encouraging all sectors to take leadership and design their own guidelines to stem the spread of Covid-19.”
A journalist and media consultant, Mr Senator Iroegbu, in his own paper titled, “the Impact of Misinformation and Fake News”, said the spread of fake news and misinformation on Covid-19 on the part of the citizens cannot be overemphasized. He, however, added that it is time for government, media and the civil society organizations (CSOs) to engage the public and bring out the facts on Covid-19 to stem the spread of fake news about the pandemic.
According to Iroegbu, some fake news had it that Covid-19 cannot thrive in Africa hot weather condition and that the pandemic is a big man disease. It was also said Covid-19 was invented so that big drug manufacturing companies can sell their products.
He said the traditional media has been battling the social media and bloggers for space to break news which most times are fake from the latter. He said it is incumbent on the traditional media to go extra mile to probe what comes from the social media through investigative journalism.
He said lack of cooperation on the part of those saddled with the responsibilities to manage information especially on the part of the government has led to misinforming the public. The information managers he said most time refuse to respond or respond late to questions from the media and engage in catch up through press releases when the damage has been done.
Iroegbu said multi stakeholders approach involving the government, CSOs and the media is what is needed to stem the spread of fake news as it relates to Covid-19.
According to the organizer, the E-WASH COVID 19 prevention campaign is a direct response to enhance federal government and partner states information and communication on COVID 19 prevention and also to address the rise in dissemination of fake news and curb the stigmatization of Covid-19 survivors.
The targets of the campaign are Federal and State government establishments (NCDC, Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Health etc), women, children and vulnerable people, school youths and People Living With Disabilities (PLWD).
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