President Buhari signs law recommending a half year prison term for violators of COVID19 conventions
President Buhari has marked another law recommending a six-month prison term for anybody saw as blameworthy of mocking any of the COVID19 conventions.
The president marked the COVID19 wellbeing assurance guidelines 2021 in Abuja on Wednesday, January 27. The marked law gives a lawful system to the indictment of any defaulter. The law expresses that an offense under these Regulations is culpable, on outline conviction, by a fine or a term of a half year detainment or both as per Section 5 of the Quarantine Act.
The law adds that security specialists including Personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, and other pertinent Local Government, State, and Federal Government organizations have been mandated to guarantee the enforcement of these Regulations.
Read below the full details of the COVID19 health protection regulations 2021:
CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19) HEALTH PROTECTION REGULATIONS 2021
In the exercise of the powers conferred upon me by Section 4 of the Quarantine Act, Cap. Q2 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2010 and all other powers enabling me in that behalf; and in consideration of the urgent need to protect the health and wellbeing of Nigerians in the face of the widespread and rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Nigeria, I, Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, hereby make the following Regulations –
PART 1
Restrictions on Gatherings
1. At all gatherings, a physical distance of at least two metres shall be maintained at all times between persons.
2. Notwithstanding the provision of Regulation 1, no gathering of more than 50 persons shall hold in an enclosed space, except for religious purposes, in which case the gathering shall not exceed 50% capacity of the space.
3. All persons in public gatherings, whether in enclosed or open spaces, shall adhere to the provisions of Part 2 of these Regulations.
4. The provisions of these Regulations may be varied by Guidelines and Protocols as may be issued, from time to time, by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 on the recommendation of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
PART 2
Operations of Public Places
Markets (including open markets), Malls, Supermarkets, Shops, Restaurants, Hotels, Event Centres, Gardens, Leisure Parks, Recreation Centres, Motor Parks, Fitness Centres, etc.
5. No person shall be allowed within the premises of a market, mall, supermarket, shop, restaurants, hotels, event centres, gardens, leisure parks, recreation centres, motor parks, fitness centre or any other similar establishment (hereinafter collectively referred to as “establishments”) except:
a. he is wearing a face covering that covers the nose and mouth;
b. he washes his hands or cleaned the hands using hand sanitiser approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC); and
c. his body temperature has been checked. Any person found to have a body temperature above 38 degrees Celsius shall be denied entry and advised to immediately seek medical attention.
6. Every establishment occupier shall make provision for regular hand hygiene for any person coming into the premises during opening hours. This includes a handwashing station with soap and running water, or hand sanitiser approved by NAFDAC.
7. Each establishment occupier is responsible for cleaning and disinfecting his premises.
8. It is the responsibility of the occupier of the establishment to:
a. Enforce the proper use of face-covering;
b. Make provision for safe hygiene facilities;
c. Enforce provision of temperature checks prior to entry into the establishment;
d. Enforce provisions and use of face-covering within the establishment;
e. Ensure that their customers queue up and are attended to serially while complying with physical distancing measures and avoiding overcrowding; and
f. Generally, ensure compliance with the provisions of these Regulations.
9. Occupiers of establishments are liable for any observed non-compliance by any persons within the premises.
Places of Worship
10. All worshippers and users of places of worship shall comply with the provisions of Parts 1 and 2 of these Regulations.
11. Worshippers shall, where and whenever possible, avoid sharing worship items such as mats, bottles, hymnals, etc.
12. It is the responsibility of the person in charge of a place of worship to ensure compliance with the provisions of these Regulations within the worship centre.
Workplace and Schools
13. All persons entering the premises of a workplace or school shall comply with the provisions of Parts 1 and 2 of these Regulations.
14. It is the responsibility of the person in charge of a workplace or a school to ensure compliance with the provisions of these Regulations within the office or school premises.
Banks
15. All employees, customers and visitors of banks shall comply with the provisions of Parts 1 and 2 of these Regulations.
16. All banks shall comply with the guidelines, mode and scope of operations issued by the Central Bank and Federal Ministry of Finance as it relates to the COVID-19 response.
17. All banks shall develop a schedule for regular cleaning of buttons and surfaces of Mantrap Entrance Doors, ATM machines and other commonly used areas.
Public Transportation Vehicles
18. All operators and passengers of public transportation vehicles (hereinafter referred to as “operators”) shall comply with the provisions of Part 2 of these Regulations.
19. Operators shall ensure adequate spacing in between passengers.
20. Operators shall ensure frequent cleaning and disinfection of parts of the vehicle frequently handled by passengers and drivers such as doors and window handles/buttons, steering wheels and dashboards.
21. Operators shall encourage passengers to frequently perform hand hygiene.
22. All operators of trains, ships and planes shall have an occupational health and infectious diseases preparedness plan, in case an employee or traveller becomes unwell in the course of a journey.
23. It is the responsibility of operators to ensure compliance with the provisions of these Regulations in the course of their operations.
Hostels, Boarding Houses and Detention Centres
24. Managers of Hostels, Boarding Houses, Nursing Homes, Correctional Centres, Remand Homes, Holding Cells, Military Detention Facilities, and such centres for care and custody of persons, shall ensure compliance with the provisions of these Regulations.
25. Managers of such facilities shall ensure that suspected cases of Covid-19 are promptly and appropriately separated from others and are reported to medical officers of the State Ministry of Health for necessary action.
BTLBlogger: Augustine Emmanuel