Days of Before
Mile 12, Maryland, Onipanu!
Ronke turned to the man in the passenger seat beside her. Like her, the man was wearing a face mask and had on plastic gloves.
Back outside on the street, crowds converged at bus parks and left physical distancing to chance. This could be a real catastrophe, Ronke thought as she arrived at her workplace moments later.
After Nigeria’s index case of Covid-19 was detected in February 2020, Lagos led the pack of infections across the nation.
And while the Federal Government’s gradual easement of the lockdown in states like Abuja, Ogun and Lagos on Monday, May 4th, 2020 was criticised by few, many Nigerians actually applauded this action.
Following the lockdown relaxation, Governor of Lagos state, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced a set of new transport guidelines to prevent community spread in the country’s commercial capital and most populous city.
Let’s get to it.
Covid-19 Transport Guidelines in Lagos
Motorists were expected to take these basic precautionary measures seriously to avoid any encounter with special forces.
#1. Compulsory 60% Passenger Capacity
Speaking with my friend, Ese, she mentioned that transport fares hiked up because of this directive.
Across the state, BRTs conveyed twenty-one passengers and each person was expected to leave his next seat empty. And public yellow buses (danfo) allowed only ten persons, some eight.
Related Article: WHAT EVERYBODY OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT LAGOS BRT
Also, mini buses had seven as opposed to the regular ten while Keke Napeps (tricycles) and taxi operators slashed theirs to two and three passengers respectively.
#2. No Standing in Public Buses
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Lagos Bus Services Ltd (LBSL) took safety to the next level by observing a no-standing order.
This made commuters waiting at bus terminals quadruple during the pandemic phase.
#3. No Air Conditioning
Because sneezing or coughing in a confined space could increase risk of community spread, this directive was worthy of commendation.
Drivers were advised to switch off air conditioning systems and leave windows open while in transit. You know, that way the breeze vacuums lethal or non lethal droplets.
#4. Mandatory Use of Wash Basins or Hand Sanitizers at Bus Parks
If you pulled through this era, you may have seen danfo conductors and other public bus staff providing handwashing equipment or alcohol-based sanitizers to passengers.
Everyone was encouraged to wash or sanitize their hands before and after trips and avoid touching surfaces.
Washing of Hands. Photo Credit. BBC
#5. Indefinite Suspension of Okada
Like I said in this article, Lagos authorities restricted the access of Okada (motorcycles) from certain highways and neighbourhoods across the city.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, while briefing the media affirmed that the use of motorcycles for commercial activities would not support the physical distancing rule as directed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Additional Measures
In addition to curtailing the spread of Covid-19 via public transit, an eight p.m. to six a.m. curfew was enforced as well as a complete ban on interstate travels.
Agric BRT Terminal
Water transport operators weren’t allowed to work beyond six p.m., ferries could only operate after disinfecting their boats and waterways users had to wear a face mask.
To downsize travellers on Lagos roads, places of worship, schools and hotels were ordered to remain closed until further notice.
Markets where non-food items are sold opened open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while food and farm produce sellers sold items on the remaining days apart from Sundays.
So, should you really be in Lagos traffic during a pandemic?
Ahem, this is a tricky one. But before I can make my personal opinion understandable, I’ll like to take a look back at when the lockdown order was initially relaxed.
#EasingTheLockdown
Monday, May 4, 2020. Workers trooped out in large groups to recoup their losses after the 5-week lockdown and banks observed a record number of customers.
Crowd at GT Bank, Ikorodu, Lagos. Photo Credit. technext
On the streets, public buses could hardly measure up to the commuters waiting at parks.
Motorists flooded Third Mainland Bridge and security personnel at Berger, the border town between Ogun and Lagos had their hands full even though an interstate travel ban was on.
At dusk, number of confirmed cases in the country increased by 245 new patients, Lagos had 1,183 cases of Coronavirus.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020. As gridlock continued to rise across Lagos, the Presidential Task Force complained of low levels of compliance with guidelines.
Banking premises had crowds ignoring social distancing rules. And the Police relocated checkpoints at Berger to restrict motorists entry into the state.
To avert a sudden spike, residents were advised to conform to the new norms but after eight p.m., private car owners and commercial transporters reportedly breached the curfew.
Irrespective of the difficulties, there was good news at the Yaba, Eti-Osa and Ibeju-Lekki Lagos Isolation Centres, a total of 60 patients got discharged.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020. Earlier today, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde expressed his displeasure over the low compliance of post-lockdown advisories.
The Police arrested over a hundred violators who were either curfew defaulters or persons without a face mask and banks continued to struggle with customer demands.
Commuters were seen ignoring physical distancing guidelines and many had their hands on railings at bus stations while others stood next to each other!
195 new cases were reported nationwide and numbers in Lagos summed up to 1,308.
By evening, investigators found security operatives collecting kickbacks from motorists at Jibowu and Berger.
Blockade at Berger, Lagos. Photo Credit. pmnewsnigeria
Thursday, May 7, 2020. 37 patients were discharged but it wasn’t all great news as 10 persons in the Marina State House tested positive.
It was also the second time in the week that food sellers opened their stores, and there was a bit more adherence to physical distancing.
At the daily briefing in Abuja, the National Coordinator, Mr Sani Aliyu warned of a fresh lockdown because of an increase in violations. He said, “the gains of the lockdown may be destroyed if we continue to disregard these guidelines.”
Friday, May 8, 2020. NCDC published new guidelines for business operations.
Women Selling Protective Equipment. Photo Credit. Humangle
In Lagos, 253 voluntary returnees from UK arrived at Murtala Mohammed Airport before a subsequent flight to Abuja.
Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi issued an alarming forecast by the Lagos state government. He said that cases may rise to 120,000 by July.
At dusk, 386 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the country. Lagos accounted for 176 and this brought the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 1,667.
Final Thoughts
No doubt, security operatives had their hands full since the Coronavirus lockdown was called off. Arrests. Vehicles impounded. Traffic control. It was hectic!
As a densely populated city, it was scary that some persons in Lagos state still chose to blatantly ignore these safety guidelines.
Also, crowding at public buildings and bus parks could’ve caused a sudden increase in number of cases.
Crowd at a BRT Terminal. Photo Credit. Twitter
And while putting on face masks was already a habit for many, someone should tell Lagosians that leaving their face mask to dangle on their chin isn’t best for anyone, particularly in a pandemic season.
To arrive at a reasonable conclusion, it’s important you know that Nigeria wasn’t the first to relax its lockdown. This had been executed in China, Italy and Spain.
However, these countries had one thing in common, authorities waited for the pandemic to ‘peak’ before slowly allowing people on the outside.
So, where did Lagos go wrong?
Simple! Lagos hadn’t peaked yet.
Even when the lockdown was in full swing, local health workers continued to record increasing number of cases and deaths from Covid-19 everyday.
Between Monday and Friday, Lagos had a steep 40.91% increase in confirmed cases and on Thursday, May 7, 2020 officials started recording three-digit figures and this didn’t stop for a while.
Over to You!
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Lagos by Sunset. Photo Credit. Instagram
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Thanks in advance and cheers to many blissful days ahead.
Featured Image. @thattokelady
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