Public Policies against COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria: Challenges, Effects, and Perceptions
Abstract
The outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented event that has continued to ravage the earth, resulting in daily increasing rate of morbidity and mortality of the virus across the globe. Healthcare systems of most countries have been overstretched by daily loads of confirmed COVID-19 cases from community transmission of the virus. This sad situation has not only elicited medical emergency responses, but also restriction policies and measures from the governments to stem the spread of the pandemic. The implementation of some of these policies could be considered as a trade-off between public health intervention and socio-economic consequences. Therefore, this paper examines the impact of government policies and actions against the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. Methodically it solely relies on secondary sources of data. It provides an assessment of Nigeria preparedness before the detection of the index case and challenges in early response and supports against COVID-19; also unveiled some failed policies that further compound the COVID-19 situation in the country. The paper, however, did not fail to observe the level of success made thus far by the government through some of its policies and responses in curbing the spread of the pandemic – especially through the effective management of COVID-19 patients, leading to a high number of discharged cases and low death rate. But it concludes that the perceptions in disbelieving COVID-19 existence, being lately responsible for community transmission, must be dissipated with a risk-communication strategy to defeat the virus.
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic; Lockdown; Most vulnerable; Palliative measures
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