Coronavirus: Ondo Banks, business owners sanitise customers, staff

By Saheed Ibrahim
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As the world battles with the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus popularly known as COVID-19, the preparedness of the financial institutions and business owners in Ondo State to assist the government in the fight against any outbreak in the state is far below expectation, The Hope can authoritatively reveal.

With the first recorded case of an infected person in Nigeria (an Italian) in Lagos state last week, the Federal Ministry of Health and other stakeholders in the health sector have joined the World Health Organisation in the sensitisation of the public on certain precautionary measures that should be put in place in order to prevent the possible spread of the virus.

To ascertain the level of compliance to the measures aimed at ensuring that the virus which can be spread through body contact with an infected person does not get to Ondo State, The Hope reporters visited some business premises in the state.

Investigations revealed that some financial institutions and few business outfits have begun to make provision for hand sanitizers to disinfect customers and staff as precautionary measures against the virus.

Among the financial institutions visited, some had in place hand sanitizers for customers before entering the banking halls, some banks had the sanitizers within the banking halls while some of the staff were seen with hand gloves and nose covers.

In Akure, only two first generation banks at Oja Oba and two new banks along Oyemekun road made provision for sanitizers at the entrance of their banking halls while others were yet to put any sanitising system in place.

When approached, security guards at the banks visited told The Hope that they had instructions that customers coming into the banking halls must sanitise their hands before coming in for transactions.

Reports from Owo indicated that only two banks had hand sanitisers in place for customers.

At the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), The Hope gathered that two of the banks located within the premises had hand sanitizers at the entrances and in the banking halls.

At the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, two of the banks at the institution had hand sanitizers in place for customers to disinfect their hands.

At supermarkets and other business premises in Akure only very few of them put in place hand sanitisers for customers and staff, others were yet to make provision for precautionary measures against the virus.

Speaking with our reporter, the Director, Jaoni Nigeria Limited, Chief Joseph Ade Oni told The Hope that hand washing system put in place was meant for both employees and customers coming into the office to disinfect their hands.

Oni added that even those who were passing by could also sanitise their hands by using the sanitising system placed outside the store.

Suggesting precautionary measures to prevent the possible spread of the virus, Chairman Nigerian Medical Association, Ondo state chapter, Dr Wale Oke, said banks and other business places many people visit often must have in place enough water, hand sanitisers and make hand gloves available for their staff.

In his words: “In all the banks and all the public places, there should be enough soap and running water for people to wash hands. Then, hand sanitisers must be made available. For people that open doors and all the rest, there should be provision of gloves for them.

 The first case of the viral infection was confirmed in Nigeria on February 27, after an Italian man who visited the country on business trip (on February 25) developed fever and was confirmed positive of the viral infection. Consequently, 28 people, who had contact with the Italian had been quarantined in Ogun state for observation.

Additional reports from Oyindamola Isijola, Rofiat Yusuf, Gbemisola Olatunji, Eniola Adeyeye, Sandra Oyeniyan, Tolani Olaleye