Coronavirus: Ways to Avoid Getting Infected In Public Transportation

As panic grips the world after seeing the devastating effect of coronavirus pandemic on the civilized world and how it made nonsense of their previously assumed powerful public healthcare system; global attention has suddenly shifted to Africa- why? Africa is the world’s second-largest and second-most-populous continent after Asia with a population of 1.3 billion people that accounts for about 16% of the world’s human population as at 2018.  Surely it embarrassing poor health system could do more harm to it that the coronavirus pandemic.

Aside from other African countries, there are fears that Nigeria may be the worst hit in Africa given its population of 200milion with a focus on dense cities like Lagos, Onitsha, Enugu, Ibadan, and Kano. The expert analysis says the virus spread more in crowded places such as markets, malls, religious gatherings, clubs’ houses, bus stations, subway stations, commercial vehicles, etc. and have warned that gathering more than 50 persons should be discouraged. It is a known fact that the major means of transportation in Nigeria is through public transports which are usually crowded, untidy and known to be easily contaminated. Experts believe that such a scenario can help the virus spread easily at a highly alarming rate.

It is believed that these public transports are infested with viruses and germs which stick to hard surfaces of the vehicle such: as a seat, knobs steering wheels, gear sticks, keys, door handles, mirrors, ventilation grilles, the rear-view mirror, etc. When we put into consideration the type of congestion witnessed in such means of transportations and the poor cities’ ventilation, drainage and planning then we can begin to understand why it is easy for the virus to affect passengers and spread to other people. Regardless of the downside of public transport, it remains the heartbeat of our cities; which reaffirms its importance to keep services running as long as possible so the government can avoid inconveniencing the masses. So far social distancing has been the core gospel of global government, social and health institutions to help curb the spread of the virus and stop the pandemic. Aside from staying at home there also are other recommended measures that we can practice individually to stay safe as recommended by World Health Organizations (WHO).

Below are the ways to avoid getting infected in public transportations:

Washing our hands before living the house

This is a general recommendation by WHO as the most essential way to avoid catching the virus since the virus is known to survive in our palms for some time. This is important since we usually touch our faces and eat with our hands so regularly washing our hands with the proper hand sanitizers becomes a must.

Hiking/Trekking

Since the pandemic started most businesses have been shut down with the greater population of global workforce being asked to either stay at home or work from home; but for those that might have good reason to go out my sincere advice to them is to hiking if their destination is not far. This helps saves you from getting affected by the contaminations in public transports.

Wear a Glove

This is a WHO recommendation since experts say most surfaces in public places has been contaminated by the virus, it is then important and life-saving for use to wear disposable gloves to ensure we don’t get our self to affect.

Wear a facemask

Experts say the virus can be spread through human droplets as we cough, sneeze or speak, so WHO has recommended people wear a mask to prevent inhaling the droplets from affecting people.

Carry a hand sanitizer

This is also a vital recommendation by WHO given that we easily touch things in public transports such as trains, coaches, uber, taxi, BRT, mole, danfo, etc. which can harbor the virus. So it is very important to sanitize our hands at all times.

Check the Seat

This is the time we have to start taking responsibility for some basic social duties for ourselves by ensuring we do a seat check before using it. This will help us notice any unusual human fluid that may have been left by affected too.

Avoid crowded transports

To stay safe it is important w avoid taking any crowded means of transportation since experts say that the virus is easily spread in crowded areas where one affected person can sneeze or cough and then contaminate other persons in public transport due to close proximity.

Social-distancing

WHO and other global health institutions recommended social distancing as one of the best social health practices to keep us safe from coronavirus pandemic. By keeping 6 feet away from others we can either avoid contracting or spreading the virus.

Use Alternative means of Transportation

This is highly recommended for those that have motorcycles or bicycle as this will ensure you don’t use contaminated public transports and also help you avoid crowded transports.

Thank you for reading, ensure you stay safe and blessed; do not also forget to remember the world in your prayers.