NMA, NUT SAY NO TO ‘SAFE REOPENING OF SCHOOLS’

The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, has taken a swipe at the  Federal Government over its  “safe reopening of schools.’

The body, through its President, Professor Innocent Ujah, said the directive that graduating classes should resume was not only badly thought-out, but could also expose both teachers and pupils to the deadly coronavirus.

He added that given the current low level of compliance by Nigerians with COVID-19 safety protocols, it was risky to ask pupils to resume.

For his part, NUT General Secretary, Mike Ene, said government was playing politics with the directive, wondering how teachers, who had not been paid salaries in some states, would get money to buy personal protective equipment.

“Again, I don’t know how the teachers would be teaching with face masks and all the pupils will wear face masks.  If you are not used to face masks, you may not breath well,  particularly  if  the one you have   is not standard.”

He also said it would be difficult to observe social distancing in crowded in classrooms. Ujah stated, “I believe the government should think about it. If they can stay a little, people have to be alive to go to school and the way things are happening, the compliance level is still very low. I don’t think it is appropriate to open the schools now.”

Ene stated, “I don’t know who is going to use his own child as a guinea pig. It is only those who are alive that can speak of keeping hope alive. How can we resume? Does anybody want to die?”