Coronavirus Pandemic
SOME Nigerians on Monday, spoke on their experiences and lessons of COVID-19, which though unforgettable and painful, were life-changing and helped them make better decisions.
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews in Lagos that their experiences gave rise to deep reflections on many issues.
Commenting, Mrs. Cynthia Nwadike said the experience she had of COVID-19 was unforgettable and would be remembered for many years to come.
According to her, I will remember it as a period when what is most important trusts God and a time when food, shelter, and basic hygiene are all that is needed to stay alive.
Nwadike added that she had learned some lessons during the ongoing pandemic, which included the importance of family, water, and soap as a means of keeping people alive.
She said others were the importance of saving and planning for a rainy day.
Contributing, Mr. Onoriode Ajejevwe said his experience during the lockdown had taught him the importance of having emergency funds that could be easily accessed.
He noted that one major lesson he learned was that sometime, a person’s best-laid out plans might fail.
Ajejevwe said that though investments were what an investor planned to earn good returns, they might not be accessible in a time of need.
He urged people to also pay more attention to their health.
Also, Mrs. Nwakego Obi said she would always remember COVID-19, particularly the lockdown, for the period when she was forced to rest and revalue the things she had always assumed to be very important.
“There were less pressure and stress on me; I was able to rest more and took care of my health.
“Not having to go out every day made me realise that everything I’m chasing will not mean much if I’m not healthy,” Obi said.
Mr. John Folarin, an Educational Consultant, said COVID-19 helped him reinforce his habit of seeking information, particularly getting it from the right source.
He said that the challenges people had with obeying the guidelines to curb the spread of the virus was because they lacked enlightenment about the effects, symptoms, and statistics of infections and deaths of COVID-19.
Folarin, however, said that apart from the number of infections and deaths recorded, face masks, and social distancing, he looked forward to some government’s decisions that would be unforgettable 20 years from now.
“I foresee the school calendar being changed to January to December as it used to be.
“There are also insinuations that the government may ask school children to be promoted to the next class when they resume without completing the third term of their present class.
“If this happens, then I will remember COVID-19 even 20 years from now, as a time when school children in Nigeria did only two terms in a session before moving to a new class.
“The real lesson is for the government at all levels to improve healthcare delivery for Nigerians. If they could build isolation centres in the shortest time frame, it also means they can do more,” he said.
In her comments, Ms. Christy Ezekiel urged the government to place its priority on the health sector to ease the burden of a future outbreak of diseases.
“Government should also ensure there is proper maintenance of the isolation centres after now. The government shouldn’t allow the facilities to be dilapidated when not in use,” she said. (NAN)
– Jun. 29, 2020 @ 14:05 GMT |
Tags: lessons of COVID-19 Nigerians speak on experiences
