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Известия Саратовского университета. Новая серия. Серия: Экономика. Управление. Право. 2022. Т. 22, вып. 3. С. 331-338 Izvestiya of Saratov University. Economics. Management. Law, 2022, vol. 22, iss. 3, pp. 331-338
https://eup.sgu.ru https://doi.org/10.18500/1994-2540-2022-22-3-331-338
Article
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the policies of countries: The example of China and Nigeria
Kehinde Adeola Olufunke
Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Aare Afao Road, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria Kehinde Adeola Olufunke, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1554-6247
Abstract. COVID-19 pandemic's emergence came to the whole world as a rude shock which affected the health system of all countries of the world including the developed nations. The pandemic broke out in Wuhan China in 2019 and has since then been ravaging the whole world. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus disease as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) and it was pronounced a pandemic. The virus came in to Nigeria in the year 2020 and since then, Nigeria as a country has been battling with the pandemic just as it is across the globe. The coronavirus disease has been affecting Nigeria in every sphere while not sparing every part of human lives and the environment at large. The measures taken to curtail the spread of the virus have negative impacts on the economy, judicial system and well-being of Nigerians generally. This article examines what COVID-19 is all about, its origin, effects and impact on the environment while considering the effects of COVID-19 on the administration of justice system in Nigeria. It also examined the various efforts by Nigerian government in combating the pandemic by putting up some Regulations immediately in order to ensure environmental sustainability. Adequate recommendations were made at the end of the work.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, Nigeria, environment, impact, judicial system
For citation: Kehinde Adeola Olufunke. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the policies of countries: The example of China and Nigeria. Izvestiya of Saratov University. Economics. Management. Law, 2022, vol. 22, iss. 3, pp. 331-338. https://doi.org/10.18500/1994-2540-2022-22-3-331-338
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0)
Научная статья УДК 340.625
Влияние пандемии COVID-19 на политику стран: на примере Китая и Нигерии Кехинде Адеола Олуфунке
Федеральный университет Ойе-Экити, Нигерия, штат Экити, Дорога Ара-Афа
Кехинде Адеола Олуфунке, Ph.D., юридический факультет, [email protected], https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1554-6247
Аннотация. Возникновение пандемии COVID-19 стало для всего мира сильным потрясением, затронувшим систему здравоохранения всех стран мира, в том числе и развитых. Пандемия разразилась в китайском Ухане в 2019 г. и с тех пор бушует по всему миру. Всемирная организация здравоохранения (ВОЗ) объявила коронавирусную болезнь чрезвычайной ситуацией в области общественного здравоохранения, имеющей международное значение (PHEIC), и объявила ее пандемией. Вирус попал в Нигерию в 2020 г., и с тех пор страна борется с пандемией так же, как и во всем мире. Коронавирусная болезнь поражает Нигерию во всех сферах, не щадя ни одной части человеческой жизни и окружающей среды в целом. Меры, принятые для сдерживания распространения вируса, негативно сказываются на экономике, судебной системе и благосостоянии нигерийцев в целом. В этой статье рассматривается, что такое COVID-19, его происхождение, последствия и влияние на окружающую среду, а также влияние пандемии на систему отправления правосудия в Нигерии. Также изучены различные усилия правительства Нигерии по борьбе с пандемией путем немедленного принятия некоторых правил для обеспечения экологической устойчивости. В заключение даны соответствующие рекомендации. Ключевые слова: пандемия COVID-19, Нигерия, окружающая среда, воздействие, судебная система
Для цитирования: Kehinde Adeola Olufunke. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the policies of countries: The example of China and Nigeria [КехиндеАдеола Олуфунке. Влияние пандемии COVID-19 на политику стран: на примере Китая и Нигерии] // Известия Саратовского университета. Новая серия. Серия: Экономика. Управление. Право. 2022. Т. 22, вып. 3. С. 331-338. https://doi.org/10.18500/1994-2540-2022-22-3-331-338
Статья опубликована на условиях лицензии Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)
Introduction
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that can cause disease in both animals and humans. The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus strain known as SARS-CoV is an example of a coronavirus [1]. However, the new strain of coronavirus is called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus causes coronavirus disease 19 which is popularly called COVID-19.
In December 2019, a new type of coronavirus called novel coronavirus which is globally referred to as COVID-19, was identified in Wuhan, China which made it the first country to experience an outbreak of the disease, the first to impose drastic measures in response, including lockdowns, mandatory use of face masks, and one of the first countries to bring the outbreak under control [2]. The outbreak was first manifested as a cluster of mysterious pneumonia cases, mostly related to the Human Seafood Market, in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province [2].
The COVID-19 is associated with symptoms such as fever, difficulty in breathing, cough, and invasive lesions on both lungs of the patients. It can spread to the lower respiratory tract and cause viral pneumonia. In severe cases, patients suffer from dyspnea and respiratory distress syndrome which are usually developed after an incubation time lasting as long as 2 weeks [2]. The pandemic has a big number of infected patients that far exceeded the equivalents of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), though with a lower fatality rate. After recognizing it is an emergency epidemic, strong measures were adopted immediately by Wuhan local authorities to characterize and control the epidemic, including isolation of suspected cases for treatment, close monitoring of contacts, epidemiological and clinical data collection from patients, and development of diagnostic and treatment procedures [2].
COVID-19 pandemic had impacts on the China society, ranging from health, social to economic impact. This impact made all Provinces come up with different policies in order to curtail the virus; the policies also cover visits, holidays and so on. For instance, the Miss Universe China 2020 which was originally scheduled to take place on 8 March 2020 was postponed to a later date due to the epidemic. Also, the Wuhan Culture and Tourism Bureau postponed a tourism promotion activity as all qualified citizens were assured of their participation in the Bureau's next activity. The Bureau also announced the temporary closure of museums, memorials, public libraries and cultural centers in Wuhan resulting in the cancelation of all tour groups to and from Wuhan.
Major sports events were also canceled due to the outbreak, as the State General Administration of
Sports announced a suspension of all sporting events while the educational institutions also postponed resumption of schools. The National Education Examinations Authorities canceled all exams including but not limited to IELTS, TOEFL, and GRE exams. Students that were meant to travel abroad were also advised to delay their travels. The civil life was also not left out, as the Civil Affairs Authorities in Shanghai, Hangzhou and others announced the cancelation of the special arrangement of marriage registration to avoid the spread of the epidemic and cross-infection caused by the gathering of people [3].
The outbreak also had an impact on religion and politics. The economy was not left out as the outbreak had a negative impact on the economy. Millions of workers were stranded, sales of new cars in China were also affected by the outbreak, therefore resulting in the fall of economic activity. During the height of the epidemic in Wuhan, millions of people lost their jobs and this led to the high rate of unemployment in the city [3].
The pandemic led to the use of face masks and hand sanitizers widely by the general public and it was required in many locations but as the epidemic accelerated, the mainland market saw a shortage of face masks due to the increased demand by the public. This pandemic resulted in the slowdown of manufacturing, construction, transportation and overall economic activity in China.
The government of China in response to the pandemic, severely restricted international travels, limiting the number of flights to the country while denying entry of foreigners with previously issued visas and residence permits. The government also took steps to discourage Chinese people from returning from overseas. It also responded to the pandemic by implementing a lockdown, when it was discovered that some people tested positive for the coronavirus, despite showing no symptoms. Other mandatory actions taken by the municipal and provincial governments supported by the central government include: case detection and contact tracing, quarantine guidance and information to the public, detection kit development, etc.
It is worthy of note that the international community recognized that China made remarkable progress in responding effectively to the outbreak. What made China address the epidemic faster is its ability to finance and mobilize resources combined with its strong governance structure, efficient execution, and solidarity of the whole society.
Methodology
This piece of work relies on the doctrinal research methodology. It is the library research; it includes primary and secondary sources. The primary
sources are Statutes, Constitution, Acts and Laws while secondary sources are books, articles etc.
Some of the primary sources used in putting this together include but not limited to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Nigeria Constitution 1999) and Regulations on COVID-19 pandemic. The secondary sources include books, articles and journals related to the subject matter of this research. The internet is also of tremendous help in putting this article together.
How COVID-19 Got to Nigeria
Following the developments of COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China and other countries worldwide, the federal government of Nigeria set up a Coronavirus Preparedness Group to mitigate the impact of the virus if it eventually spreads to the country [3].
The Federal Ministry of Health, confirmed the first coronavirus disease case in Lagos State, Nigeria. The case which was confirmed on the 27th of February 2020, is the first case to be reported in Nigeria since the outbreak in China in January 2020. The case was that of an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and returned from Milan, Italy to Lagos, Nigeria on the 24th of February 2020. He was confirmed positive by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. Even though the index case came to Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammad International Airport Lagos, the fact that he was first suspected to have had the virus in Ogun State meant that all the people who had contact with him had to be quarantined by the Ogun State Government, and contact tracing of the people on the same flight with him was initiated by the Lagos State Government and the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) [4].
On the 9th day of March, 2020, the second case of the virus was reported in Ewekoro, Ogun State, it was a case of a Nigerian who had contact with the index case. After the first and second confirmation of the virus, the number of cases in Nigeria began to grow, initially with Lagos being the epicenter of the pandemic in Nigeria.
In March 2020, borders were shut, lockdowns imposed, interstate travel banned, offices, clubs, and services considered to be non-essential were completely shut. The public sector has also been affected and the low economic activities especially in the oil and gas industry, trade and manufacturing as well as services have significantly impacted government's revenue, leading the Federal Government to revise the 2020 budget down by more than N71 billion. COVID-19 has undoubtedly affected every aspect of our lives in Nigeria [4].
Efforts of Nigerian Government to curb the menace including the lockdown
Upon realizing the calamity COVID-19 has brought upon the country, the President of the Federal government by the power conferred on him by the Quarantine Act (Quarantine Act Cap Q2 LFN 2004) in its various sections (Sections 2, 3 and 4 Quarantine Act Cap Q2 LFN 2004) declared COVID-19 a dangerous infectious disease and made the regulation (Covid-19 Regulations 2020) in order to curtail the spread of the disease. The Regulation instantly imposed a lockdown in three different states of Nigeria, that is, Lagos, Ogun and FCT. The president based on the advice by the Federal Ministry of Health and NCDC directed the cessation of all movements across the above mentioned states and FCT for initial period of 14 days commencing from 11pm 30th March 2020 (Section 1 (1) Covid-19 Regulations 2020). Citizens are to stay in their homes, all businesses closed and all travels postponed (Section 1 (2) Covid-19 Regulations 2020); movement of all passenger aircrafts also suspended both commercial and private jets (Section 3 Covid-19 Regulations 2020). All these are emergency measures put in place in response to COVID-19 pandemic by the Nigerian government.
In 2021, the President again by the powers conferred on him by the Quarantines Act (Quarantine Act Cap Q2 LFN 2004) made another Regulation titled Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Health Protection Regulation 2021. Part 1 of the Regulation talks about restriction on gatherings. It provides that at all gatherings, a distance of two meters should be maintained between persons (Section 1 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Health Protection Regulation 2021). It further limited numbers of gatherings to 50 in an enclosed place and in case of religious houses, 50% capacity of the auditorium shall not be exceeded (Section 2 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Health Protection Regulation 2021). The Regulation also provided for using of face masks in public places such as churches, mosques, malls, market places etc., washing of hands and the use of hand sanitizers mandated. Thermometers are to be provided and if anyone's temperature is above 38 degrees Celsius, the person should be denied entry (Section 5 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Health Protection Regulation 2021).
Apart from these two Regulations, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in conjunction with NCDC as empowered by the president of Nigeria regularly come up with different guidelines and Protocols to curtail the virus as the need arises.
In summary, Nigeria mounted a swift and aggressive response to COVID-19. The country's initial response included early activation of the national EOC at the NCDC, establishment of the
multi-sectoral COVID-19 PTF, and decisive actions to stop international travel and impose a time-limited lockdown in highly affected areas. National and international authorities and experts suggest the use of non-pharmaceutical measures like wearing face masks and gloves, washing hands with soap, frequent use of antiseptic solution and maintain social distance. The lockdown containment measures were aimed at slowing the spread of the outbreak to new states, delaying the progression to community transmission, and increasing health system capacity at the initial phase of the outbreak.
On January 23, 2020, the World Health Organization's International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee advised that countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing, prevention of onward spread of COVID-19 infection and share full data with World Health Organization [5]. From the moment the first case was reported in Nigeria, the Nigerian government and its different agencies initiated several health, economic, security and social responses to contain the disease and its impact on society.
In summary, the Nigerian government in their efforts to curb the menace, responded to the pandemic by putting in place some of the key measures stipulated below [4]:
1. Establishment of the body called Presidential Task Force by the Federal Government. With the COVID-19 outbreak, the full machinery of the presidency was deployed in response to the outbreak. The first step taken by the president was to ban flights from countries with high rates of COVID-19 cases. On March 18, 2020, the government announced a total closure of the nation's airspace and land borders. Federal government grants were also given to fight COVID-19 in various states while the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was not left out. The body has been responsible for supporting states in the COVID-19 response, coordinating surveillance of the disease and the public health response nationwide. The NCDC also developed guidelines and protocols, and supported the accreditation of more laboratories across states in Nigeria.
2. Palliative Measures. The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development was tasked with implementing palliative measures across the country. Some of the measures included disbursement of grants to the poorest households in various states, donation of food items to state governments for onward distribution to citizens and continuation of the school feeding program.
3. Technical and Material Support. The Presidential Task Force (PTF) provided technical and
material support to states for the management of the outbreak. The PTF coordinates material support from the private sector to the government. Private sectors like Sahara Energy Group and ThisDay Media donated a 300-bed capacity isolation center to assist in the management of confirmed COVID-19 cases and many more donations were received from well-to-do Nigerians across the globe.
4. Lockdown. The lockdown strategy was a drastic and temporary measure implemented with two objectives. The first objective is to slow the spread of the virus across the country, while the second is to buy time for the health system to increase its preparedness [6]. As of March 22, 2020, the initial 30 confirmed cases COVID-19 in Nigeria were travelers from abroad or their immediate contacts. It was this that informed the initial international travel ban for passengers coming from countries with ongoing high transmission (initially China, Italy and Germany) to minimize rising imported cases. Land borders were closed, all international flights were banned, and mandatory institutional quarantine and testing for international returnees to Nigeria were instituted to reduce further importation of the disease from high-risk countries.
On 30th of March, 2020, the President of Nigeria issued series of stringent non-pharmaceutical interventions, which include the stay-at-home orders and cessation of non-essential movements and activities (commonly referred to as a "lockdown strategy") in Lagos and Ogun States and FCT for an initial period of 14 days, extended for an additional 21 days in the same three states and adding Kano State [6]. The states were selected based on a combination of the burden of disease and their risk. Lagos State, was the initial epicenter of disease and had the highest number of cases; Ogun State which shares borders with Lagos State, was the source of the index case, and has a highly urban population with a high rate of movement into Lagos State.
The lockdown included closure of schools and workplaces, bans on religious and social gatherings, cancellation of public events, curfews, restrictions on movement, cessation of interstate and international travel, reduction of market days to a few days in a week, reduction in public transportation carrying capacity to a maximum of 70% and reduction in weekly working hours in the public service. Alongside the federal lockdown in Lagos, and Ogun States and the FCT, many states adopted the same measures as well, including school closure, movement restrictions, and curfews.
5. Quarantine measures. Mandatory institutional quarantine and testing of international returnees to Nigeria were instituted in order to reduce further importation of the disease from high-risk countries.
COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria
Vaccination has been described as one of the wonders of modern medicine. It is a simple, safe and effective way of protecting the body from harmful diseases. Vaccines have played a huge role in ensuring that the fatality of diseases such as measles, chicken pox, tuberculosis and several others have reduced significantly across the globe especially in Nigeria [7].
The Nigerian government through the chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 has said it would not relent on the mandatory vaccination policy, especially for civil and public service officers, saying the country is experiencing an increase in case fatality ratio [8]. The government has given a directive that it is important for all its workers to get vaccinated as the evidence of vaccination may be the prerequisite for allowing them into their various offices [9]. Examining the legal implication of forcing citizens to get vaccinated, this is in contradiction of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Cap C23 LFN 2004) which provides for the right to private and family life. It also runs contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights which provides the right to private life (Article 8 European Convention on Human Right). In addition, the Code of Medical Ethics of Nigeria provides that before administering vaccines on their patients, such patient's consent must be sought and obtained or that of his / her relative; thus, failure to obtain consent before administering the vaccine would amount to medical negligence as in the case of COVID-19 administration without the consent of the workers, in this instance, a person so coerced may seek redress in the court of law by bringing an action in negligence against the government and the medical practitioner who administered the vaccine. In such a situation an injured person may bring an action in negligence against such a medical practitioner [7].
Effects of the lockdown on Nigerians and inadequate care on the part of the government that imposed the lockdown
Though the lockdown slowed down COVID-19 transmission, it had undesired collateral effects on social protection, security, economic and daily subsistence for many. It is safe to assume that these negative consequences of the pandemic disproportionately affected women, people living in poverty, petty traders and those dependent on income from small and medium enterprises.
Crime and domestic violence reportedly increased during the lockdown period, as many people were unable to exercise their usual income-generating activities with effects most pronounced
on vulnerable populations and those living in poverty (Nigeria National Bureau of Statistics and The World Bank. May 2020. Nigeria COVID-19 National Longitudinal Phone Survey). The adverse effects of the lockdown exacerbated already difficult situations for many, rendering prolonged enforcement of preventive interventions such as lockdown and physical distancing unsustainable [6].
The lockdown policy impacted negatively on majority of people in Nigeria who feed and survive only by what they earn daily [10]. The situation worsened, owing to little or no social welfare packages or palliative assistance provided by the government for the most vulnerable people in society. More so, lack of payment of salaries by state governments, increase in the price of commodities/foods and tariffs on inadequately supplied utilities like electricity are some factors that made the lockdown unbearable.
The Nigerian government has weak institutions which could potentially spark violence and tension between citizens and political parties. The inadequacy on the part of government was revealed as a result of their inability to respond to the lockdown swiftly. The Nigerian government could not respond to the lockdown swiftly, by supplying money, food, drugs and material reliefs to the vulnerable groups. It is important to state that funds, foods and materials provided as a palliative in an emergency should not be given as loans to vulnerable people, and bureaucratic bottlenecks should be removed to enable these people to have easy access to services [10].
The lockdown also had effects on market goods, most especially perishable goods. Due to the lock-down policy in most states, and the policy of markets opening every three days and five days, perishable goods got spoilt thereby causing loss on the part of the traders. Farmers were unable to go to farm to monitor their plants, few of the produce they are able to transport to the market were on high side with respect to price thus most people were unable to afford the commodities. Farmers were making reduced profits by selling in local markets while urban consumers paid higher prices because of low supplies in the regional markets [11].
Negative impact of COVID-19 on Judicial System in Nigeria
The impact of COVID-19 on the Nigeria Judicial System cannot be overemphasized. During the lockdown imposed by the Nigerian government, the judicial system was also on the complete shutdown thereby leading to accumulation of cases unattended to in our courts. Generally speaking, the judicial system in Nigeria is congested and so many cases are in different courts suffering one delay or the other. With the advent of COVID-19 and the lockdown, the situation worsened. The lockdown did not stop crimi-
nal activities and criminals were arrested virtually on daily basis by the police without the opportunity for the accused persons to be arraigned within the reasonable time as provided for under Fundamental Human Rights as contained in Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
[12] and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act
[13] and Administration of Criminal Justice Law of different States across the country. The correctional centers across the country were filled to the brim with people arrested for one offence or the other; so also various police cells. This indeed affected the entire judicial system. In the same vein, civil matters were not left behind, cases that were to be handled by courts especially urgent matters requiring an order of injunction could not be attended to. This led some people to resort to self-help in handling their matters which also had adverse effects on the society at large.
Negative impact of COVID-19 on the environment
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the impact on the environment cannot be overemphasized. It was observed that medical waste generation increased globally, which is a major threat to public health and environment. For instance, collection of the suspected COVID-19 patients, diagnosis, treatment of huge number of patients and disinfection of various isolation centers gave rise to the increase of biomedical wastes generated across the country; such a sudden rise of hazardous waste, and their proper management became a significant challenge to the local waste management authorities [14]. Waste generated, from the hospitals (e.g., needles, syringes, bandage, masks, gloves, used tissue, and discarded medicines etc.) should be properly managed in order to reduce further infection and environmental pollution but it became a matter of concern in Nigeria at a stage.
Across the globe, production and use of plastic based PPE have increased. In order to ensure that people are adequately protected against the viral infection, the use of face masks, hand gloves and other safety equipment have increased, which in turn increased the quantity of healthcare wastes. Based on people's ignorance about infectious waste management, most people dump these items (e.g., face masks, hand gloves etc.) in open places which creates clogging in drainages and worsens environmental pollution Nigeria has been battling with for decades now [15].
Nigeria's economy has been adversely affected since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the lockdown imposed by most countries of the world, the flow of income has been significantly constrained since a reasonable proportion of the productive factors lied idle [16]. Companies were shut, thus, it affected their production and led to
their inability to pay taxes to the government purse. There is also a significant reduction in international trade following the closure of seaports and airports to curtail the spread of the pandemic. Ironically, the government's transfers payments have increased considerably, owing to the expenditure on palliatives by various governments across the globe to cushion the effect of the lockdown on citizens [16]. In addition, since the lockdown has constrained human, vehicular movement and economic activities, flow of income across nations have been adversely affected [17].
Due to the pandemic and efforts of the government to curtail the spread of the virus and in the face of economic instability people were forced to reduce their spending, there is a reduction in economic transactions which led to losses by firms across the world [17]. Within a short time after the lockdown, individuals and firms ran out of cash needed to make the required transactions. The situation is further compounded by the curtailment of transport services, which could constrain farming activities and thus jeopardize economic growth since green revolution is a prerequisite for industrial revolution [16]. In addition as a result of Nigeria's overreliance on oil and due to the lockdown in Nigeria, there was a fall in oil prices which constrained government earnings and made them resort to external borrowing [18].
Recommendation and conclusion
Coronavirus causes a range of illnesses. It typically affects the respiratory tract, but the effects can extend well beyond the respiratory system. Most cases of COVID-19 are not serious. However, it becomes severe if not urgently attended to, leading to death in some cases. The outbreak of COVID-19 was sudden; this makes it difficult to estimate how often the disease becomes severe or the exact rate of mortality. It is hereby recommended as follows:
Firstly, proactiveness on the part on the government is very fundamental, thus, the Nigerian government should ensure that the preventive measures are put in place against future occurrence. The citizens must be given proper orientation about the occurrence and those things that must be done or not to be done so as to reduce the spread of the virus. Necessary material for the curtailment of the disease such as hand sanitizers and face masks should be distributed to the citizens free of charge, while establishing more health care facilities and isolation centers.
Secondly, laws regulating Public health should be enacted and adequate enforcement mechanism should be ensured. In essence, when the public health laws are enacted, there must be compliance with the laws enacted and thus, once a law is created, a body, commission or law enforcement agency should be created alongside so as to ensure compliance with the laws.
Likewise, the state of hospitals in Nigeria is appalling. The Nigeria government should take the health of the citizens serious by ensuring that good facilities are built and necessary equipment is provided for these hospitals. The hospitals should be well funded so as to enable the management run it smoothly and effectively; when hospitals are not well funded, the resultant effect is what we are having in Nigeria today. Isolation centers should be built in all states across the federation and they must be well equipped; it is a different thing to have a building for the isolation of those who tested positive to coro-navirus or other diseases, it is another thing to have facilities and equipment necessary for the treatment and care of the patients therein. In the same vein, hospital pharmacies should be well stocked with drugs for different ailments.
In addition, it was observed that during the lockdown, Nigeria's government did not take the welfare of the citizens serious and this led to hunger, poverty and many more. Palliatives were not properly distributed as this did not get to so many households. A lot of people were hungry without having any hope of getting any support from the government. For instance, during the lockdown in Nigeria, families of five got 2 cups of rice from the government throughout the period of lockdown, this is embarrassingly shameful. In fact, it can be safely concluded that this led to vandalisation of food stores where the so called palliatives were kept by the Nigerian government without distribution. Foods were kept in large rooms and stores without being distributed and people were dying of hunger. This shows the level of unseriousness on the part of the Nigeria government. The welfare of the citizenry should be the priority of every serious government, thus, before any lockdown is imposed in future, the government should have been prepared to take care of the citizens' well-being during the period.
Lastly, medical practitioners should be well remunerated and their salaries paid as and when due. If the medical practitioners are well remunerated, they will be well motivated to carry out their duties effectively. Lack of good remuneration of the medical practitioners is what usually necessitates their going on strike, thereby leaving patients in hospitals unattended to and sometimes leading to the patient's death. In fact, amidst the COVID-19 struggles, medical doctors embarked on a nationwide strike in Nigeria to protest against non-availability of necessary materials to protect themselves against the novel coronavirus, non-payment of salaries and so on. The Nigeria government should be sincere enough to take care of those who risk their lives to save other people's lives across the country.
In conclusion, as the government adapts to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is equally important for Nigerians to take responsibility by conforming to these new realities in order to contribute to the effectiveness of the response. This paper has been able to examine the history of coronavirus, having its origin in Wuhan, China. It has also been able to examine how COVID-19 got to Nigeria, the efforts of Nigerian government towards battling the pandemic, the impact of coronavirus on the environment and the judicial system with reference to the lockdown imposed by the government.
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Поступила в редакцию 18.04.2022; одобрена после рецензирования 17.05.2022; принята к публикации 21.05.2022 The article was submitted 18.04.2022; approved after reviewing 17.05.2022; accepted for publication 21.05.2022
