To hell with face mask’

TRACKING____In spite of the high number of Coronavirus cases recorded in Lagos State on a daily basis and government’s charge to residents to wear their face masks in order to curtail the spread of the deadly virus, only a few residents now leave their homes with face coverings and fewer still wear them the way they should.

It is a piece of loose-fitting layered disposable fabric called face mask. But it is also a personal protective equipment (PPE) recommended by health experts as a means of preventing the transmission of the deadly Coronavirus otherwise called Covid-19.

Health experts say it protects the wearer from exposure to the virus through human droplets, particularly the saliva. However, more and more residents of Lagos are shunning the use of face masks in spite of threats by the state government to sanction defaulters.

At the commencement of the lockdown impelled by the outbreak of Covid-19 on March 30, there were only 131 confirmed cases of Covid-19 nationwide. But the figure has jumped to more than 30,000 nationwide with Lagos State alone recording close to 12,000.

At several markets and neighbourhoods visited by The Nation, it was observed that shoppers, motorists and commuters exhibited almost complete disregard for face masks, raising doubts about the possibility of reduction in the number of infected persons in the state.

Why they shunned face masks

In an alarming twist to the trend, some Lagos residents who spoke with our correspondent said they don’t wear face masks because they don’t believe in the existence of Covid-19 in the country.

A grocery seller at Dopemu Market, Agege, who identified herself simply as Mrs Adams, said ”there is nothing like coronavirus in Lagos. That is why I don’t cover my face with masks.

She said: “I no longer use face masks because I don’t believe there is Coronavirus in the country. I am saying this against the revelation by many people purportedly infected who came out of isolation and said they were treated with anti-malaria drugs.

“The authorities too have not denied using malaria drugs to treat Covid-19 patients. Even the Governor of Bauchi State recently directed that infected persons should be administered with malaria drugs.

“So, if it is malaria they are treating as Covid-19 for reasons best known to the authorities, why do I need to panic and wear masks around when malaria has always been with us?”

Femi Lasisi, a printer based in Olorunshogo area of Mushin, a Lagos suburb, explained that he only goes out in a face mask to avoid being harassed by policemen who have been mandated to deal with offenders.

“I have never believed in covid19 because it is a hoax,” he said.

“The disease might be prevalent in other countries, but it is certainly not in Nigeria as we are being forced to believe.

“I only move around with a face mask in my hand to avoid being harassed or arrested by the police for flouting the order regarding compulsory wearing of face mask.”

At Ile Epo Market in Agbado/Oke Odo Local Council Development Area, some traders were seen without face masks as they interacted with customers.

In spite of the cluster of customers he had to haggle with at the market, a meat seller identified as Kamaldeen wore no face mask. Asked why he did not, he said Coronavirus outbreak was nothing but a gimmick by some political leaders to siphon public funds.

Kamaldeen said: “Since the beginning of the so called pandemic in the country, the index cases have not ceased to increase while many of us who are not wearing face masks have not fallen ill for one day.

“To me, therefore, the disease is not in existence in Nigeria. Our political leaders are just trying to latch on to it in order to siphon public funds.”

Our correspondent, who visited Ogba, Ojota and Agege axis of the state, also saw so many people walking about without their face masks.

A commuter, Mrs Daniella Nwandu, told The Nation that she would rather observe the protocol of washing her hands than cover her face with a mask.

She said: “The mask will choke me if I wear it. I prefer washing my hands or applying sanitisers to wearing a face mask. I don’t want to choke myself-o. Moreover, I haven’t seen anyone the so called Covid-19 has killed.

“Those we are made to believe were victims of Covid-19 might have died from different diseases entirely. The Federal Government should just stop deceiving us and allow the resumption of social activities in the country.”

In a part of Ojota where chemical retailers and roadside markets are located, many traders and customers were seen going about their transactions without adherence to the use of face masks and in total

disregard for the rules of social distancing.

A man, who claimed to have come to the market from the Ikotun part of Alimosho Local Government Area, insisted that the face mask order issued by both the federal and state governments was only a smokescreen aimed at covering up their inadequacies.

He said: “Asking people to wear face masks is just an attempt by our leaders to divert attention away from themselves. The fact remains that what they are diagnosing people with is acute malaria, judging by what we have read in a section of the media.

“Two weeks ago, I had malaria fever and visited a general hospital in my neighbourhood only to be told to visit an isolation centre for Covid-19 patients. The medicals at the hospital refused to give me proper care despite my insistence that I should be attended to.

“Instead of going to isolation centre, I decided to visit a private hospital where I was diagnosed with acute malaria and I am now hale and hearty. Therefore, I don’t think the figures being bandied as the number of infected persons are correct.

“It is for this reason that I have not been too pleased with wearing the face mask. As you can see, I am not wearing a face mask now, but I have a small bottle of sanitiser in my pocket.”

An itinerant ice cream seller, Alfred Jebose, who spoke with our correspondent in Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos, said he does not believe that face covering is the solution to the spread of the virus.

He said: “You heard it when some people said they covered their faces with masks and applied other necessary precautions but still tested positive for Covid-19. It means that face covering is not a remedy for the disease at all.

“If severe malaria is what the western nations have contrived as Covid-19, definitely a face mask cannot prevent it. That is why I neither believe in its existence nor wear a face mask as preventive measure.

“I cannot cover my face with any mask, because it would affect my respiration. In fact, it alters my breathing in such a way that it becomes difficult for me to breathe.

Medical practitioners speak on relevance of face mask

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, says it is important that Nigerians wear face masks in public places in order to protect themselves and others from contracting Covid-19.

Ehanire, who issued the advice during a recent daily Presidential Task Force (PTF) briefing, said the use of face masks is one of best forms of personal protection against the virus.

He said: An additional way thought to protect against corona infection is the use of face masks, and it includes improvised and homemade face masks or face covering with handkerchiefs or scarves.

“A layered cotton fabric over the mouth and nose guards against particle emission during laughter, exclamation or loud talk and may offer mutual protection to wearers, especially where social distancing may not be achieved, or where close contact may not be avoided with certainty, such as markets.

“However, persons without the N95 or surgical masks could make use of home-made face masks, handkerchiefs or scarves. But they must be properly washed with warm water and ironed to kill any virus that may have settled on the mask.”

The National Chairman of Clinical Pharmacists Association of Nigeria, Dr. Joseph Madu, recently backed face covering, noting that the human face is an essential part of the body that is exposed to respiratory tract infection from coronavirus.

“Just like the common cold virus or catarrh, this virus gains entry into the body mainly through the respiratory system.

“The nose forms the beginning of the respiratory tract and goes through the throat down to the wind pipe (trachea) and then into the lungs.

“The nose, mouth, eyes and even the ears are all connected, and whatever gains entry into them can finally find its way into the lungs.

“Thus, touching the face with infected hands can easily lead to breathing challenge and a severe form of pneumonia called COVID-19,” he said

Also, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said the wearing of face masks protects people around an infected person.

“There is some theoretical evidence that the wearing of masks may indeed reduce the amount of droplets in the environment from the person that is infected with COVID-19, and that is the reason why we are beginning to define the strategy of face masks for the general community,” he said.