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American Evacuated After Testing Positive For Coronavirus In Lagos

A United States citizen, who tested positive for Coronavirus in Lagos, has been moved back home to America.

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, made the disclosure on his Twitter handle on Wednesday.

He said, “The total #COVID-19 cases in Lagos is now 82. Eight patients have so far been discharged following their full recovery.

“One of the confirmed cases, who is an American citizen, has been evacuated to the USA.”

Nigeria now has 151 confirmed cases of Coronavirus and two recorded deaths.

PUBLIC HEALTH

United States of America

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April 2, 2020
Coronavirus: Ondo Government Shuts Down Markets, Begins Fumigation

The Ondo State Government has shut down all markets including the ones selling essential commodities in the state.

The government said the closure was part of measures to stem the spread of Coronavirus pandemic in the country.

In a statement, the Ondo Government said, “It has been observed that residents have flagrantly disobeyed this directive which is a potent measure to avoid the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

“Compelled by this unwholesome infraction, government hereby places a total ban on all markets across Ondo State.

“This ban is irrespective of any item. For emphasis, all markets must remain closed until further notice.”

In a related development, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has ordered the fumigation of all markets and motor parks across the state.

He said, “By the time people return to the markets after the closure, they will meet the place cleaner and already fumigated.”

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April 2, 2020
Petri Dish Detention By Mohammed Ibraheem Zakzaky

The world is gripped in the Coronavirus reality and the immense panic and disruption it brings along with it. This virulent scourge has cut a path less trodden by viruses, as it infects and spreads with little regard for all the norms of red tape that has allowed the murder and official disappearance of many, including my six brothers. By the time it begins to execute those whose death sentences it has written and signed it is always 10 steps ahead on the paperwork. That is almost eight steps ahead of professionals like Buhari.

The virus is a near perfect beta of a doomsday virus. Even the most hard-line sceptics have ended up dumbfound by just how profoundly serious Covid-19 is as a survivalist organism that is here to accomplish its apocalyptic mission. Though many medical experts have since been pressured, pressed and forced to promise a vaccine and possible cure within the next few months to a year; the truth is that the threat is clearly unprecedented.

In my case I went to sleep in a world where my priority was to deliver food and medical aid to my parents in Kaduna Prison; only to wake up and realize that there was an even larger number of factors in play. I slept knowing full well that it was an uphill battle against the entire regime of Major-General-Buhari and his army of punitive henchmen; to all of a sudden be confronted by a Diablo ex-Machina; courtesy of the novel corona virus AKA Covid-19.

Now all visits to prison by anyone and everyone were effectively and strictly forbidden. I understood and reasoned that it was the proper measure to prevent contagion of this clearly deadly disease. The last thing I would want is to be a part of what makes my already sickly parents sicker; or worse.

In spite of the fact that I had completed all arrangements to have doctors visit both my parents in Kaduna Prison, in order to provide them with relief for their existing medical conditions due to age and a plethora of wounds they sustained during the attack and subsequent ransacking of our home by the Nigerian Army. All of which have all gone untreated during the past five years.

I still thought and reasoned that a quarantine of the entire area was the best measure possible in the short term, considering the existing circumstances. As a result of this I made all the necessary apologies to cancel appointments with all the doctors and hospitals, to ensure that the quarantine in Kaduna Prison will hold and be maintained. I then did all in my power to send masks, hand sanitizers, gloves, soap and vitamins. All in an effort to stay safe and keep everyone safe.

I have now since been jolted out of the stupor of perceived safety by terrible news. There has been a violent incident inside Kaduna Prison, which has rendered my memory of the Zaria Massacre of 2015 raw. As the harrowing sounds of another rampage of gun fire was heard from Kaduna Prison, where my parents are currently being detained.

All my frantic calls to the Controller of Prisons and his deputy were not answered, as the sounds of gun fire continued to rage. All my efforts to learn what was really going on failed. I have however been able to learn a few things through the few answered calls. All of them agree on the following.

1.      There has been a surge of Covid-19 symptomatic prisoners in Kaduna Prison.

2.      Staff of the prison clinic have been avoiding three symptomatic prisoners particularly.

3.      Three of them were removed and one was returned on Tuesday.

4.      A number of Prisoners strongly objected to the re-introduction of the prisoners.

5.      The prison staff tried to calm things down by trying to reason with them.

6.      The Prison’s armed squad were then deployed, to supress an alleged prison break.

7.      After a period of automatic fire in the air and on target, calm was restored.

8.      The prisoners suspected of Covid-19 are among those reported shot and killed.

9.      Bullet canisters were still littered all over the place 3 hours later.

10. Many of the Kaduna prison staff are visibly injured, some with serious injuries.

11. A significant number of the injured staff were seen walking around in blood-soaked uniforms.

12. So called normalcy has been enforced, and returned at an unknown cost.

The fact remains that the highly crowded, unsanitary conditions of Kaduna Prison remains a highly contagious environment, that is no place for my vulnerable mother and father, both of whom are above 50 years of age. Both of whom are un-healthy, both of whom are suffering from an unprecedented number of health issues that have remained untreated and unattended.

Due to a determination by the regime of Heil! Major-General Buhari and his now contagious Governor El-Rufai and their army of undertakers. It is unclear what is really going on at the site of all the intense gunfire that was heard in Kaduna Prison. Aside from the above stated facts, I can say no more.

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April 2, 2020
Legal Issues Arising From Management Of Covid-19 Patients By Ahmed Adetola-Kazeem

A lot of legal issues are bound to arise as an aftermath of the outbreak of Coronavirus otherwise referred to as COVID-19. There is therefore a need to shed light on some of the issues that may arise and how to navigate them. This article will x-ray the rights of patients, the rights of health workers and the basic minimum obligations of the government.

The Code of Medical Ethics in Nigeria 2008 lists acts that constitute professional negligence. Rule 29.4 of the Code outlines some of these acts as follows:-

a)      Failure to attend promptly to a patient requiring urgent attention when the practitioner was in a position to do so;

b)     Manifesting incompetence in the assessment of a patient;

c)      Making an incorrect diagnosis particularly when the clinical features were so glaring that no reasonable skillful practitioner could have failed to notice them;

d)     Failure to advise, or proffering wrong advice to a patient on the risk involved in a particular operation or course of treatment, especially if such an operation or course of treatment is likely to result in serious side effects like deformity or loss of organ, or function;

e)      Failure to obtain the informed consent of the patient before proceeding on any surgical procedure or course of treatment when such consent was necessary;

f)       Making a mistake in treatment e.g. amputation of the wrong limb, carelessness that results in the termination of a pregnancy, prescribing the wrong drug, or dosage in error for a correctly diagnosed ailment, etc;

g)     Failure to refer, or transfer a patient in good time, when such a referral or transfer was necessary;

h)     Failure to do anything that ought reasonably to have been done under any circumstance for the good of the patient;

i)       Failure to see a patient as often as his medical condition warrants or to make appropriate comments in the case notes of the practitioner’s observations and prescribed treatment during such visits. It also includes failure to communicate with the patient or with his relatives as may be necessary with regards to any developments, progress or prognosis in the patient’s condition.

Rule 11.2 of the 2008 Code of Medical Ethics in Nigeria provides that, “A physician shall preserve absolute confidentiality on all he knows about his patient even after the patient has died.”

             Rule 44 of the Code of Medical Ethics has extensive provisions on Confidentiality and when disclosure of information can be made. The Rule provides in part that:

“Disclosure of information on the patient by the doctor can only be made following an informed consent of the patient in writing. It is clear that the ethic covers even such information as induced abortion, venereal disease, attempted suicide, concealed birth and drug dependence but would exclude situations in which a discretionary breach of confidentiality is necessary to protect the patient or the community from danger and this must be made clear to the patient at the time of the confidential disclosure. Where statutory notification of disease is involved, the consent of the patient is not required.”

            Confidentiality: To Disclose Identity Of Covid-19 Patients Or Not To Disclose?

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Most people infected with the COVID-19 will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.[1]

The Federal Ministry of Health confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in Nigeria on the 27th of February 2020. It is the case of an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and returned from Milan, Italy to Lagos, Nigeria on the 25th of February 2020. In reaction to the report, the social was divided between those who want the name of the Italian disclosed and those that preferred it remains confidential. The outcry was even more when the Chief of Staff to the President tested positive according to reports from various media houses[2], but the Minister of Health decided to keep mute on the identity of the President’s aide who contacted the virus, citing confidentiality.

It will ordinarily be wrong to disclose the medical status of someone infected with COVID-19, for instancethe case of the Italian who was the index case. However in view of the proviso to Rule 44 of the Code of Medical Ethics 2008 which provides that a discretionary breach of confidentiality is necessary in order to protect the community from danger, I am of the view that the test results of popular figures who hold strategic offices like the Chief of Staff to the President or a Governor must be disclosed to guaranty public safety. This is necessary in view of the countless number of people from all works of life they come in contact with on a daily basis. It will be correct to have made their status public in the overriding interest of the public, since it will enable those who have come in contact with them isolate, just like we have seen in the cases of the British Prime Minister, the Bauchi State Govenor, Prince Charles, the First Lady of Canada and many more. We must commend those who announced their status in public themselves-it is the best thing to do in the interest of humanity

The World Health Organization (WHO) provides additional guidelines for the management of coronavirus patients specifically.[3]

Health workers should:

•follow established occupational safety and health procedures, avoid exposing others to health and safety risks and participate in employer-provided occupational safety and health training;

•use provided protocols to assess, triage and treat patients;

•treat patients with respect, compassion and dignity;

•maintain patient confidentiality;

•swiftly follow established public health reporting procedures of suspect and confirmed cases;

•provide or reinforce accurate infection prevention and control and public health information, including to concerned people who have neither symptoms nor risk;

•put on, use, take off and dispose of personal protective equipment properly;

•self-monitor for signs of illness and self-isolate or report illness to managers, if it occurs;

•advise management if they are experiencing signs of undue stress or mental health challenges that require support interventions; and

•report to their immediate supervisor any situation which they have reasonable justification to believe presents an imminent and serious danger to life or health.

Doctors and health workers in Nigeria must endeavor to digest the guidelines in the Code of Medical Ethics as well as the WHO Guidelines for management of Coronavirus victims and ensure they work strictly by their provisions. A breach of these duties have dire consequences.

Options Available To Covid-19 Patients Who Are Victims Of Medical Negligence

A Coronavirus patient who has suffered medical negligence has a number of options:

1. He could file a complaint with the regulatory body (e.g. the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, in the cases involving a Doctor). The Doctor will in the first instance be investigated by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Investigation Panel, after which he will be tried by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. If found culpable, the Doctor may be warned, suspended from practicing for a period not exceeding 6 months or in very serious cases, have his name can be removed from the Register of Medical Practitioners. The Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Disciplinary Tribunal does not award monetary damages.

2. A suit can be filed against the Medical Doctor, the Hospital, Agency or Government in the High Court for Medical Negligence and monetary damages will be awarded if the Defendant(s) are found culpable.

      3. If there is an element of Crime, a report could be made to the Police who would conduct Criminal Investigation and where the investigation reveals gross negligence, recklessness or wanton disregard for life of the victim, the police can prosecute or forward the case file to the office of the Attorney General of the State for possible prosecution in deserving cases.

A Need To Do More For Doctors And Other Professionals In The Health Sector

Health workers are at the front line of any outbreak response and as such are exposed to hazards that put them at risk of infection with an outbreak pathogen (in this case COVID-19). Hazards include pathogen exposure, long working hours, psychological distress, fatigue, occupational burnout, stigma, and physical and psychological violence.

During the outbreak of Ebola more than 500 health care workers died in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra-Leone alone. We also lost some of our finest doctors and health workers to the disease in Nigeria, the most prominent being Dr. Stella Adadevoh, who is credited with having curbed a wider spread of the Ebola virus in Nigeria by placing the index patient, Patrick Sawyer, in quarantine despite pressures from the Liberian government. As we speak, The coronavirus is waging a war of attrition against health care workers throughout the world, but nowhere is it winning more battles at the moment than in Italy and in Spain, where protective equipment and tests have been in severely short supply for weeks. In Spain 13.6% (6500) of those affected with the coronavirus are health workers and in Italy 10% (7400) of those affected with the virus are health workers. [4] In New York dozens of health workers have been affected with the virus, while hundreds are in quarantine.[5] According to reports filtering in as the time of concluding this article, three health workers have been infected with COVID-19 in Abuja, Nigeria.[6]

Human Rights Watch research into health system collapse in Hungary and Venezuela suggests the nations’ mismanaged, underfunded, and understaffed public healthcare system is poorly equipped to handle a COVID-19 outbreak. Patients and medical experts described a lack of basic hygiene protocol, lack of isolation rooms, and a shortage of health professionals, doctors and nurses, and medical supplies in general.

The situation is not too different in Nigeria at the moment and except something drastic is done we might be witnessing a devastating effect of the pandemic. Nigeria’s, public health capacity has been diminished by large scale public sector corruption. Medical personnel lack surgical masks and local supplies have been diverted and shipped to other markets partly due to corruption. Many states are ill-prepared to combat the impeding surge in patients. A senior health worker with a government hospital in Abuja, in an interview with Sahara Reporters, lamented the lack of quality Personal Protective Equipment for them, adding that government must invest in the protection of health workers at the frontline of the battle against the virus. He said, “The unfortunate thing is that the government is not providing us with what to work with. It is sad that our PPE are not up to the world standard and can be penetrated by viruses. Some of us (health workers) have to use our personal funds to purchase gloves as we do not trust the ones government supplied. Nigerians should please remember us in their prayers and government should provide us with what we really need to work.” [7]

There was report that in Bauchi State a Coronavirus patient rejected the isolation centre at the Bauchi Specialist Hospital and went back home while describing it as “too dirty”.[8]

It is disappointing to hear that the hazard allowance for doctors and health workers is N5,000 per month in Nigeria. The amount is very paltry compared to the risks and the attendant emotional and psychological stress suffered by the health-care workers (HWCs) particularly during monumental outbreaks like this. Unfortunately, when a patient is mismanaged, these doctors and health workers bear the burden of paying huge compensation and sometimes losing their jobs. More importantly, the brain-drain in the health sector is monumental, almost all my friends who are doctors, work abroad. Unfortunately, there are concerted efforts by the US Government to engage foreign Doctors to further fortify its health work force as COVID-19 ravages. Many young Nigerian doctors are already considering the offers because the Nigerian government has paid little attention to their welfare and the welfare of the general health workforce. To stop the exodus of our doctors, who are already in short supply, the government must act fast by improving their welfare packages in line with acceptable international standards.

The psychological needs of doctors and health workers are also often ignored. Unsafe working conditions contribute to health worker attrition in many countries due to work-related illness and injury and the resulting fear of health workers of occupational infection, including from HIV and Tuberculosis. The 2006 World Health Report – Working Together for Health reported on a severe health workforce crisis in fifty-seven countries, most of them in Africa and Asia. [9]

Protecting the occupational health of health workers is critical to having an adequate workforce of trained and healthy health personnel. Governments at the Federal and State levels are urged to do more by complying fully with the World Health Organization’s guidelines regarding the Rights of Health Workers while combating COVID-19. Some of the rights are:

·         assume overall responsibility to ensure that all necessary preventive and protective measures are taken to minimize occupational safety and health risks;

·         provide information, instruction and training on occupational safety and health, including; Refresher training on infection prevention and control(IPC); and Use, putting on, taking off and disposal of personal protective equipment(PPE);

·         provide adequate IPC and PPE supplies (masks, gloves, goggles, gowns, hand sanitizer, soap and water, cleaning supplies) in sufficient quantity to healthcare or other staff caring for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients, such that workers do not incur expenses for occupational safety and health requirements;

·         not be required to return to a work situation where there is continuing orserious danger to life or health, until the employer has taken any necessary remedial action;

·         allow workers to exercise the right to remove themselves from a work situation that they have reasonable justification to believe presents an imminent and serious danger to their life or health. When a health worker exercises this right, they shall be protected from any undue consequences;

·         honour the right to compensation, rehabilitation and curative services if infected with COVID-19 following exposure in the workplace. This would be considered occupational exposure and resulting illness would be considered an occupational disease,

·         provide access to mental health and counselling resources; and

·         enable co-operation between management and workers and/or their representatives. Etc.

In conclusion, professional care givers for COVID-19 patients should uphold four basic principles formulated by Beauchamp and Childress in their book ‘Principles of Biomedical Ethics’ in order to protect themselves from liability for negligence. The four basic principles are autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice.

Autonomy: People have the right to control what happens to their bodies. This principle simply means that an informed, competent adult patient can refuse or accept treatments, drugs, and surgeries according to their wishes. People have the right to control what happens to their bodies because they are free and rational. And these decisions must be respected by everyone, even if those decisions aren’t in the best interest of the patient.

Beneficence: All healthcare providers must strive to improve their patient’s health, to do the most good for the patient in every situation. But what is good for one patient may not be good for another, so each situation should be considered individually. And other values that might conflict with beneficence may need to be considered.

Non-maleficence: “First, do no harm” is the bedrock of medical ethics. In every situation, healthcare providers should avoid causing harm to their patients. You should also be aware of the doctrine of double effect, where a treatment intended for good unintentionally causes harm. This doctrine helps you make difficult decisions about whether actions with double effects can be undertaken.

Justice: The fourth principle demands that you should try to be as fair as possible when offering treatments to patients and allocating scarce medical resources. You should be able to justify your actions in every situation. For instance, it will amount to a professional misconduct for a Health-care Worker to remove a poor man from the ventilator because a Senator was rushed in.

Ahmed Adetola-Kazeem is a partner in Adetola-Kazeem Legal Practice and specializes in Medical and Health Law

Email: aadetolakazeem@gmail.com;aadetolakazeem@gaklp.com

[1] https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1(Accessed on the 28th of March 2020)

[2] https://businessday.ng/coronavirus/article/abba-kyari-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-buhari-negative/

https://www.channelstv.com/2020/03/24/buharis-chief-of-staff-abba-kyari-reportedly-tests-positive-for-coronavirus/ (Accessed on the 28th of March 2020)

[3] Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) Outbreak: Rights, Roles and Responsibilities Of Health workers, Including Key Considerations For Occupational Safety And Health”. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-rights-roles-respon-hw-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=bcabd401_0   (Accessed on the 26th of March 2020)

[4] https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/collapsing-virus-pummels-medics-spain-italy-69789413 (Accessed on 26th March 2020)

[5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/covid-19-hits-doctors-nurses-emts-threatening-health-system/2020/03/17/f21147e8-67aa-11ea-b313-df458622c2cc_story.html (Accessed on 28th of March 2020)

[6] http://saharareporters.com/2020/03/28/exclusive-two-nurses-one-doctor-infected-coronavirus-abuja-hospital

[7] Supra

[8] https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/coronavirus-patient-rejects-bauchi-isolation-centre-returns-home.html (Accessed on 28th March 2020)

[9] https://www.who.int/occupational_health/topics/hcworkers/en/(Accessed on 26th March 2020)

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April 2, 2020
MOH launches programme to reduce risk of Covid-19 transmission at districts

PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Health (MOH) today launched a programme to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission at districts in an effort to curb the spread of the disease at the community level.

Deputy Health Minister I Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said the core focus of the programme was to empower the community and share the responsibility of Covid-19 preventive and control measures to ensure all districts are free of Covid-19 infection and achieve zero cases.

“For that purpose, districts are divided into four categories – Green – zero Covid-19 cases in 14 days; Yellow – between one and 20 cases; Orange – between 21 and 40 cases and Red for areas with more than 41 cases.

“The objective of the programme is to ensure that districts classified as Green zones maintain their status and to turn the Yellow districts to Green districts in 14 days,” he said when launching the programme, here today.

Dr Noor Azmi said through the programme, each family member are required to monitor the health of each other, ensure the Movement Control Order is complied with and maintain self-hygiene and cleanliness.

“At the community level, everyone should play an active role in ensuring that their respective districts maintain the Green status including by channelling any activity involving mass participation to community leaders or police,” he said.

Dr Noor Azmi said district action councils would spearhead the programme adding that the MOH would monitor the number of cases in each district for 14 days and share any information on it through MyHealth social site. – Bernama

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April 1, 2020
Johor cops warn 866 tabligh gathering participants to come forward

JOHOR BARU: The remaining 866 participants of the Sri Petaling mosque Tabligh gathering from Johor who have yet to come forward for a health screening have been warned that they face strict action by the authorities.

Johor police chief Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said 2,086 participants from Johor were identified to have attended the gathering and from those, 1,220 of them had undergone screenings in hospitals.

“We have identified (the remaining 866) and we will be calling them. If they still not do want to come forward for screening, we will take strict action as we have given time numerous warnings.

“No more deadlines for them. We will contact them and persuade them to present themselves,” he told reporters at the Johor police contingent headquarters, here today.

In a related development, he said 73 participants of the Ijtima of Asia 2020 tabligh gathering in Sulawesi, Indonesia, have re-entered Johor via the Stulang Laut and Puteri Harbour ferry terminals since March 23.

Ayob Khan said all of them were now undergoing a 14-day quarantine at their homes.

On the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) enforced on two areas in Simpang Renggam, Ayob said there was one violation case reported there yesterday.

He said the case involved two men in their 20s who tried to flee from the roadblock mounted in Parit Linau, Simpang Renggam.

“In the 8.45pm incident, the two men were stopped at the roadblock after which they tried to escape.

“After further checks police found 0.6 grammes of heroin in a bag carried by one of them,” he said.

Both are now under police custody for violating the EMCO and for possession of drugs, he added. – Bernama

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April 1, 2020
Only immediate family allowed at burial grounds during MCO: Tosrin

JOHOR BARU: Only immediate family members are allowed to accompany a body when it is taken to a Muslim cemetery, in efforts to contain Covid-19 virus, during the Movement Control Order (MCO) which has been extended until April 14.

Johor Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Tosrin Jarvanthi said this is one of the guidelines which the close relatives must abide by, in the event of a death in the family, including Covid-19 related death, in which case the nearest police station and district health office must be informed.

“Taking into account the current Covid-19 situation and the views of the Ministry of Health, the next-of-kin must adhere to the guidelines applicable to all government and kariah muslim burial grounds,“ he told reporters, here today.

Also present were Johor Islamic Religious Council (MAINJ) advisor Datuk Noh Gadut, Johor mufti Datuk Yahya Ahmad, Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAINJ) director Datuk Md Rofiki Samsudin and MAINJ chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Noh Ibrahim.

Apart from that, Tosrin said those attending the funeral should disperse immediately after the talkin has been recited by the imam.

“They must also wear a mask, wash their hands with sanitisers and practice social distancing by keeping a distance of at least one metre, use other personal protective equipment if necessary, and no body contact or hand shakes are allowed,” he said.

He said while the MCO is being enforced, relatives and family members are only allowed to be at the burial ground when the funeral rites are being performed.

In another development, Tosrin called on Muslims in the state to perform the Amalan Johor Bermunajat special prayers in their homes, beginning from tomorrow until April 4, to seek protection from Allah SWT in efforts to contain Covid-19.

He said the Qunut Nazilah is to be recited during maghrib prayers, which is to be followed by solat hajat (prayer of need) and recitation of Surah Yasin and tahlil until it is time for Isyak prayers.

“The Qunut Nazilah should also be recited when performing Isyak prayer. After the recitation of Surah Al-Mulk, Selawat Kamilah and Asmaul Husna make a special prayer seeking Allah‘s mercy and bounty to keep us safe and relieve us from the pandemic,“ he added.

According to Tosrin, the guidelines for the Amalan Johor Bermunajat, would be uploaded onto JAINJ Facebook, while a live streaming of the prayers performed by Sultan Abu Bakr Mosque officials, would be broadcast via Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque Facebook soon after the call for maghrib prayers tomorrow.

In another development Noh Gadut encouraged Muslims to perform the funeral prayer in absentia for those who died from Covid-19 infection.

“In view of the MCO ruling to curb the spread of Covid-19, once we are aware of a death and the remains will be laid to rest, perform the funeral prayers at home,” he said. – Bernama

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April 1, 2020
43,462 clinical samples taken for testing so far: Health DG

PUTRAJAYA: A total of 43,462 clinical samples have been taken for Covid-19 testing to date, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.

Of those, 2,908 samples tested positive, 32,894 turned out negative while 7,660 samples are pending results, he said.

Dr Noor Hisham said the MOH is capable of handling 11,500 tests daily, now that 48 of its laboratories are working together with those from public and private higher learning institutions, the Malaysia Genome Institute (MGI), Institute For Medical Research (IMR) and Malaysian Armed Forces hospitals.

He said the MOH was also conducting tests on the rapid antigen test kits from South Korea, adding that if the accuracy level to locate Covid-19 is found to be high, the ministry will then order 200,000 units.

Dr Noor Hisham said with those kits, clinical samples need not be sent for laboratory testing any longer.

“Testing can be done at the clinics or hospitals and they would only require biosafety cabinets, so with these test kits from Korea, we would be able to obtain results much faster,” he said at the ministry’s Covid-19 daily briefing, here today. – Bernama

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April 1, 2020
Remand proceedings during MCO to be held in police stations

PUTRAJAYA: Remand applications during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period will be held at police stations instead of the courts.

Federal Court chief registrar Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh, in a letter to Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Mazlan Mansor, said Chief Justice Tan Sri Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat had agreed to Mazlan’s request to conduct the remand proceedings at police stations throughout the country.

The letter, which was sighted by the media, said the court must be given early notice so that the safety of the court staff, officers and lawyers was guaranteed.

It also said the right of suspects to be represented by lawyers during remand proceedings should not be denied.

The letter said the Covid-19 guidelines issued by the Health Ministry from time to time must also be adhered to.

Mazlan had written to Terriruddin earlier today seeking assistance from the judiciary for suspects not to be brought to court and instead to have magistrates and court registrars despatched to police stations for remand proceedings during the MCO period.

The second phase of the MCO is from today until April 14.

Normally, police will bring suspects to the courts to obtain a remand order which may be up to 14 days, for purposes of investigation. – Bernama

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April 1, 2020
Joint Statement by QU Dongyu, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Roberto Azevedo, Directors-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Millions of people around the world depend on international trade for their food security and livelihoods. As countries move to enact measures aiming to halt the accelerating COVID-19 pandemic, care must be taken to minimise potential impacts on the food supply or unintended consequences on global trade and food security.

When acting to protect the health and well-being of their citizens, countries should ensure that any trade-related measures do not disrupt the food supply chain. Such disruptions including hampering the movement of agricultural and food industry workers and extending border delays for food containers, result in the spoilage of perishables and increasing food waste. Food trade restrictions could also be linked to unjustified concerns on food safety. If such a scenario were to materialize, it would disrupt the food supply chain, with particularly pronounced consequences for the most vulnerable and food insecure populations.

Uncertainty about food availability can spark a wave of export restrictions, creating a shortage on the global market. Such reactions can alter the balance between food supply and demand, resulting in price spikes and increased price volatility. We learned from previous crises that such measures are particularly damaging for low-income, food-deficit countries and to the efforts of humanitarian organizations to procure food for those in desperate need.

We must prevent the repeat of such damaging measures. It is at times like this that more, not less, international cooperation becomes vital. In the midst of the COVID-19 lockdowns, every effort must be made to ensure that trade flows as freely as possible, specially to avoid food shortage. Similarly, it is also critical that food producers and food workers at processing and retail level are protected to minimise the spread of the disease within this sector and maintain food supply chains. Consumers, in particular the most vulnerable, must continue to be able to access food within their communities under strict safety requirements.

We must also ensure that information on food-related trade measures, levels of food production, consumption and stocks, as well as on food prices, is available to all in real time. This reduces uncertainty and allows producers, consumers and traders to make informed decisions. Above all, it helps contain ‘panic buying’ and the hoarding of food and other essential items.

Now is the time to show solidarity, act responsibly and adhere to our common goal of enhancing food security, food safety and nutrition and improving the general welfare of people around the world. We must ensure that our response to COVID-19 does not unintentionally create unwarranted shortages of essential items and exacerbate hunger and malnutrition.

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https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/30-03-2020-joint-statement-by-qu-dongyu-tedros-adhanom-ghebreyesus-and-roberto-azevedo-directors-general-of-the-food-and-agriculture-organization-of-the-united-nations-(fao)-the-world-health-organization-(who)-and-the-world-trade-organization-(wto)

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April 1, 2020