By Halima Olalekan, Charis King
Nose masks which used to be items found only in specific areas like some sections of the hospital, industrial work and laboratories, has now turned out to be a basic comodity for almost everyone in the world. Nose masks are basically a part of life right now.
A nose mask is needed to board a bus, enter a canteen or enter any where at all, this situation is quite understandable and logical as the Global COVID -19 pandemic demands for its use. World government's also deemed it sensible to make the use nose masks and PPEs like sanitizers mandatory for daily living. School and places of worship were shut down, social distancing guidelines were put in place, large gatherings were banned and the use of PPEs were made compulsory there actions were quite reasonable as nose mask was an efficient way to curtail the spread of the pandemic but has the decrease in amount of cases in Nigeria reduced our interests in the Nose mask rule? In this article we'll be examining how this new nonchalant attitude has taken over our respect for our COVID prevention guidelines in the educational community, using The Lagos State University (LASU) as a case study.
Nose masks has grown to be a necessity for everyone on campus as the school authority made it extremely mandatory following the guideline issued to them from the Federal government. Most students in the schools campuses (Ikeja and Ojo campus) just wear it to gain entry to the school premises not because they're actually scared of contracting the Corona Virus. This has instilled in these students this. "I don't care" attitude towards the use of face masks and they feel immediately they make it through the front gate, they can pocket their nose masks. This belief is completely sad and disappointing coming from the student community.
An even more disappointing instance commonly seen is when students fail to wear this nose masks properly its being treated as more of a face mask and less of a Nose mask.
The school authority as a whole could be doing more. Theres also slight levels of nonchalance on the part of the management as it Is clear that all the school's authority is doing is obeying Goverment regulations and not actually paying appropriate attention to the.
Health of a student as a person let alone the large number of students that enter the school's premise on a daily basis.
A suggestion for the way forward?
Asides ensuring these masks are worn whilst entering the school premises, They could also ensure school marshals are constantly on the lookout for these inadequate use of the Nose masks.
Any form of outbreak in any of the schools campuses would be quite destructive so the issue of the use of nose masks is not even up for debate. There should also be a clear re-education and some some sort of penalty for defaulting in the use of nose masks. All these reiterate the fact that health is more paramount than any discomfort the nose mask is giving them (as some students have claimed).
Hand wash machines could be installed at each major point of gathering and also at the faculty entrances for extra safety.
So the question we could ask is!
"DO THE MANAGEMENT AND STUDENTS OF LASU ADEQUATELY UNDERSTAND THE REASON BEHIND THESE PREVENTIVE GUIDELINES ?".
The answer is not far fetched, any individual who thoroughly understands the life cycle and mode of transmission of the virus which causes the Covid19 Infectious disease will understand the reason why the importance of Nose masks can never be overemphasized.
I can say it categorically that, one of the most effective method of combating this virus is the consistent and appropriate use of nose masks by people, so the the of nose masks has been very effective in reducing the spread of the Covid 19 infectious diseases worldwide and its amazing effects started from little groups of people adhering to simple instructions like the appropriate use of the mask and sanitizers.
Well, as expected some people are using it while some are not. You can be sure quite a number of factors is responsible for people adhering to this instruction and the way round. One interesting fact about Covid-19 is that the safety precautions of your neighbors has a passive effect on your own safety so as you try to ensure that you don't get infected with the virus, you need to try as much as possible to ensure your neighbors follow suit.
So for people not wearing nose masks and observing guidelines the consequence is that they put themselves and their family members at a very high risk of contracting the virus which may have a negative effect on them financially, socially and mentally.
Even if one isn't killed by the virus, the stress and worry that one would go through would itself be a mental pandemic on its own. The threat about the Corona virus is still real and fatal it's best to stay safe, understand these guidelines and observe them.
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