By Esenvosa Izah
Lagos – The Federation of Informal Workers’ Organisations of Nigeria (FIWON) has called on the relevant authorities to immediately secure mobilise COVID-19 testing tools to rural communities to contain the spread of the disease.
The organisation’s General Secretary, Mr Gbenga Komolafe, said on Monday in Lagos that the call became necessary in view of the restriction of movement and limitations of rural dwellers.
Komolafe said that the exercise would bring the true picture of the spread of the disease among the general populace.
FIWON is an umbrella body of over 170 organisations of working people in the informal sector in Nigeria.
Komolafe said that a lockdown without other aggressive government measures might not help much in slowing the spread of the disease because the means of livelihood of people in the rural communities had been hampered.
According to him, there should be an urgent need for investment in the capacity to rapidly test, treat and contain Covid-19 spread.
“We are concerned that few people have been tested so far while thousands of people that have been exposed to the virus by travellers that are now difficult to trace and have remained anonymous; this is dangerous.
“Working people living in poor, overcrowded communities with poor water supply, sanitation and healthcare facilities are especially vulnerable to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This is so because of the difficulty of practicing social distancing rules in over-crowded households and communities,” he said in a statement.
According to him, the practice of social distancing is incomprehensible in the informal context because it presupposes that people live in a house large enough to practice it.
“Water and sanitation facilities should be provided by the government in high-density areas, informal settlements, markets and motor parks.
“This should be accompanied by campaigns for regular hand-washing and maximum hygiene in these places.
“Food and other essential commodities supply chains must remain open; as several states close their borders to others.
“Low-cost loans should go to owners of micro and small businesses through cooperative societies. It should be coordinated by the Bank of Industry to enable business recovery after the pandemic,” he said.
(NAN)