After witnessing a record number of deaths, bourgeoning scales of hospitalization and skyrocketing degrees of infection across the spectrum in the wake of COVID-19 among nations and continents, which precipitated a wave of blanket lockdown of institutions, infrastructure and by extension, freezing of virtually all economic activities, nations have found it expedient to urgently take measures to unshut those institutions to rejig the near comatose global economy.
Germany is one of those nations that have mapped out a phased reopening of the economy by first restoring construction activities to be followed by reopening of schools whilst ramping up social distancing measures and keeping tab on new infections.
This leading role in phased reopening is possible because Germany is one of those countries with the lowest infection rate and corresponding lower death rate. This is attributed to more advanced public health facilities better than the USA and other European countries and a proactive deployment of public health measures that forestalled a spike in negative curve.
Public health experts have recommended wide-ranging testing capacity of citizens as a condition precedent to reopening the economy.
Taking a cursory look at the curve back home in Nigeria, recorded rate of infection and death which are far cry from the general trend across the globe, public health prognosis simply alludes to an inadequate testing capability due to impoverished health facilities.
Be that as it may, Nigeria should make a smart move even in the earlier gradient of the curve to reopen the construction sector thereby making the use of protective gear and PPE for workers a sine qua non.
When the construction sector opens with its value chain, it gives the economy a little breather. Moreover quantum mileage could be achieved in road construction before traffic snarls return and we are deep in the middle of raining season.
Germany prioritized construction in the re-opening sequence because it is mostly driven by mechanical activities and requires less of human interface.
While the foregoing is imperative, receipts from crowd funding and other donations from the international community should, as a matter of urgency, be deployed towards procurement of more testing equipment and acquiring hands-on training of personnel.
States that are not under federal movement restriction should take public health measures that fit the peculiarities of their projected curve.
Lastly, cutting down the health component of 2020 budget as a means of aligning the budget with oil benchmark even in the middle of a health pandemic is an oxymoron the National Assembly must not allow to stand.
Going forward, budgets on health must be ramped up to the World Health Organization’s recommended 15 per cent if any lesson must be learned from the novel COVID-19 tragedy.
Suffice to conclude with an old maxim, “It is better for mankind to be impressionable than reflective.”
• Bukola Ajisola wrote from Lagos