RONA REARS ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN: A CALL FOR STRICTER MEASURES

It is no longer news that we are in the third wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, as the Delta variant, which is said to be deadlier, spreads like wildfire. In all of these, the University of Ibadan is not spared. A professor was reported to have been killed by the virus and some students were rumoured to have contracted it. The spread of the virus within the University of Ibadan community may, therefore, not be a farce. It is only rational to call for stricter measures in curbing the spread of the virus.
If the Coronavirus were a person, it would walk in and out of the University of Ibadan at will. It would only need to hold its nose made in its hand when the officer at the main gate asks “where is your mask?” If it is a lucky day, it would beg the officer and remind them that it does not have money to buy a mask and it would be allowed in. If it doesn’t want to go through that stress, it would pass through second gate. There, no one would shout “where is your mask?”, like the officer at the first gate. If the coronavirus were a student, it would be among the overcrowded passengers in a bus or cab. It would sit comfortably in the middle of two other passengers in a Maruwa. It would parade the overcrowded lecture halls and mingle with students in the rush to get a venue. It would dance out the content of its heart at Zik Hall’s gyration night, go back to its room in Block C and have a sound sleep.
This is an exact picture of how coronavirus would spread within the University of Ibadan, if safety guidelines are continually violated. There has been a poor, inefficient attempt at enforcing COVID-19 prevention protocols. Even a child can tell that the ‘ where is your nose mask?’ questions asked by the officers at the main gate is sometimes a mere act. In most faculties, there are no precautionary measures to this effect. Noone prevents students from going into lecturer halls without a mask. Everyone is free. Only a few students, by intuition, wear a mask. In the Halls of residence, the story is not different. Despite conspicuous banners with bold “NO MASK, NO ENTRY” prints, and hand washing facilities, students still somehow find a way to break the rules and ignore the handwashing facilities.
It is even worse that certain persons think COVID-19 is a grandma tale invented to ‘collect money’ and scare people. These are a menace to the university community and to those who are keen on living healthy lives.
All of these point to the need for stricter measures to be taken in curbing the spread of the virus. While the school management has put certain measures in place, compliance should be strictly enforced. In some faculties, like the faculty of Arts Annex, there are officers who would caution you to put on your nose mask, if you are not wearing one. Commercial drivers have also started cautioning passengers to put on their masks.
Thankfully, the University-wide vaccination and health check is a right step in the right direction. It is hoped that the guidelines will be strictly adhered to. That Delta Variant is deadlier should spur the management and students alike to ensure strict compliance to the prevention guidelines.