Reps want two –week recess over coronavirus fears

The House of Representatives on Tuesday resolved that the National Assembly should suspend plenary for two weeks to enable the management install facilities to screen and detect coronavirus.

This was sequel to the unanimous adoption of an amendment proposed by the Minority Leader, Rep. Ndudi Elumelu to the motion sponsored by Rep. Josiah Idem on tackling the coronavirus.

Amending the motion, Rep. Elumelu said that there were no facilities to check people entering the National Assembly complex and detect the coronavirus.

He observed that an infected person could walk into the National Assembly complex, shake hands with people and spread the virus.

“I urge the leadership of the National Assembly to suspend plenary for two weeks to allow management to sanitise and put facilities in place to detect the virus.

“Let the House Committee on Health and other relevant committees ensure compliance,” he said.

Moving the motion earlier, Rep. Idem said that there is the need for the leadership of the assembly to constitute a committee to interface with the government to eliminate the virus and called for the release of more emergency funds to support the Federal Minister of Health to eliminate the novel virus.

The lawmaker stressed the need to intensify surveillance at all border entry points and called for the immediate activation of centres designated for the treatment.

Rep. Idem said that risk communication should be intensified and laboratory services expanded, while recommending the citing of two isolation centres each geo -political zone.

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Contrbuting to debate on the motion, Rep. Inombeck-Awaji Abiante, reminded his colleagues that a motion to bring back Nigerians stranded in China was thrown out by the House for fear of importing the virus.

He said that though the Federal Ministry of Health has assured the public that the country is ready to contain the virus, the coronavirus has found its way into the country, asserting that it shows that the federal government is not really prepared for the virus as Nigerians were made to believe.

Also, Rep. Ibrahim Isiaka revealed that the place where the infected Italian visited in Ogun state was in his constituency, complaining that what was most disappointing was the fact that the Italian was not detected at the entry port in Lagos.

The House after extensively debating the motion therefore, recommended that government should convene an emergency national health conference for all health workers to come together to address the spread of the virus.

Ruling on the motion, Deputy Speaker of the house, Ahmed Wase mandated all relevant House committees to ensure compliance.