How mourners flout COVID-19 protocols during burial ceremonies of VIPs

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, guidelines against COVID-19 where instituted by the Federal Government to be observed at public places, including burials. However, investigations by Daily Trust on Sunday has shown that mourners have been flouting the safety protocols during burial ceremonies of politicians and very important persons who died from the virus. […]

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, guidelines against COVID-19 where instituted by the Federal Government to be observed at public places, including burials. However, investigations by Daily Trust on Sunday has shown that mourners have been flouting the safety protocols during burial ceremonies of politicians and very important persons who died from the virus.

Mourners flagrantly violated COVID-19 protocols during the recent burial of the late politician cum business tycoon, Senator Buruji Kashamu in Ogun State. It was the same story during the burial of the immediate past governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, in June, and the burial of former Chief of staff to the President, Abba Kyari, at the Gudu Cemetery Abuja on April 18 this year.

Some basic protective measures against COVID-19 in public gatherings and places include use of face masks, physical and social distancing, as well as hygiene measures such as hand washing and use of hand sanitisers and temperature checks.

When Abbah Kyari was buried in April, there was outrage that the burial ceremony was not conducted in line with protocols established by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for burials of persons who died from COVID-19, both on the part of those who handled the burial as well as the mourners.

Our reporter observed that the mourners violated the social distancing measures throughout the burial. Most of the mourners did not wear masks, and there was no hand washing facilities or sanitisers in sight.  The Federal Government had also ordered a lockdown in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos and Ogun states that month, and there was a directive banning mass gatherings of more than 20 people outside of a workplace but hundreds of mourners flocked the burial with no physical distancing between them, the remains and the grave.

Those who conducted the burial were also not properly kitted.

A participant in the burial also discarded his Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the cemetery in an unprofessional manner.

The PPE was later evacuated and the cemetery was decontaminated by the Health and Human Services Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), according to its Acting Secretary, Mohammed Kawu.

As a result of the conduct of mourners during the burial, the presidency, the next day banned top aides who attended the burial from entering the Presidential villa.

The presidency also asked all State House correspondents and media office staff who attended the funeral prayer at the Defence House and burial ceremony at Gudu Cemetery Abuja to self-isolate for 14 days.

Our reporter observed that mourners also defied COVID-19 safety protocol at Senator Buruji Kashamu’s burial. Massive crowds of loyalists, associates, followers and residents of Ijebu Igbo in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State penultimate Sunday defied social distancing protocol to pay their last respect to him.

As early as 7am, Kashamu’s home located at Egbe Quarters, Oke-Sopin in Ijebu Igbo played host to mourners from various parts of Ijebuland and the state at large.

Daily Trust reports gathered that security operatives as well as private body guards were able to control them between 7am and 10am, but the mourners later overpowered the security agencies and forced their way into the compound.

Others sympathisers climbed the adjoining structures to catch a glimpse of the happenings within Kashamu’s compound.

Amid wailing and lamentations of the late politician known for his philanthropy to the less privileged, the mourners cramped themselves into the compound waiting for hours for the remains to be brought out for Janazat prayer and final internment.

While security agents were able to force some mourners to put on face masks, they could not enforce social distancing because of the crowd.

The compound became rowdy when the corpse emerged from the building at about 12:40pm for the burial. There was show of emotions as many attempted to touch the remains.

The Janazat prayer and burial was hurriedly concluded in less than five minutes in order to keep the situation under control.

The Special Adviser to the state Governor on Public Communications, Remmy Hazzan, while reacting to the defiance of COVID-19 protocol by mourners, advised them to go on self-isolation.

Hazzan admitted that the government never envisaged such crowd at the burial of the former senator.

He said the government would step up the surveillance team around Ijebu-Igbo and neighbouring communities to ensure anybody with COVID-19 symptoms was immediately tested.

He said “The late Buruji Kashamu was a very visible figure in the political space of the state and so his demise was not just a loss to us in Ogun State, but Nigeria.

“That is why the government of Ogun State was heavily represented by the governor himself and a good number of the members of the executive council.

“When you are mourning, you may not remember to put some things in place that can curtail certain things especially when you are in a mourning mood yourself,” he said.

A medical expert, Dr Ismail Lawal told Daily Trust on Sunday that the development has showed recurrence of protocol violations since the outbreak began in the country.

Lawal, who is the immediate past chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in the state, said the crowd was expected, hence, measures to control the mourners should have been mapped out.

He admitted that the defiance to the COVID-19 safety measures would likely contribute to community spread in the state.

He said, “We have laws, but our problem is the implementation. What happened is not new and it will continue to happen if the laws are not enforced.

“For instance, if those who attended the burial of late Abbah Kyari had been made to face the wrath of the law, it would have served as deterrent to others.

“Apart from the burial scene, do you see adherence to social distancing in the market? No. So, this will continue to happen unless we implement the laws,” Lawal added.

Daily Trust on Sunday reports that mourners flouted COVID-19 protocols during Senator Abiola Ajimobi’s burial ceremony too.

Ajimobi, died of complications of COVID-19 after he reportedly tested negative for COVID-19 at the First Cardiology Hospital, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Politicians, family members and other prominent Nigerians flooded his Yemoja Street, Oluyole country home to pay their last respect without observing COVID-19 protocols.

Even though the family had said the burial activities was strictly a family affair, and advised people to join through zoom, many mourners turned out in large numbers to attend the funeral service at the mosque without observing social distancing or using face mask.

Though his remains were interred privately in the presence of family members and invited cleric, thousands of mourners struggled to get food at the Abiola Ajimobi Central Mosque, the venue of the sermon for the late former governor.

The former chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Oyo State, Dr. Akin Sodipo, said the implications of none compliance to COVID-19 protocols are grievous.

He said people did not just flout COVID-19 measures during the burial activities of the former governor but at other functions too.

He urged government at all levels to increase efforts in enforcing use of face mask, washing of hands and other COVID-19 protocols directed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Oyo State commissioner for information, Wasiu Olatunbosun, said the state government was adopting different communication techniques to ensure attitudinal change.

He said: “We are using different communication techniques to make our people observe them not only at VIP burials but at every social gathering. We want them to have attitudinal change naturally. We don’t want to force them because, if we do, what happens when security agencies are not around to control them?”