COVID-19: Red Cross urges frontline health workers, others to observe protocols

Mrs Adebola Kolawole, the Chairman, Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), Lagos State branch, has called on frontline health workers and others to strictly observe the COVID-19 protocols to avoid being infected.

She made the call in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Lagos.

The chairman also urged the workers to consider their safety first, particularly when responding to emergencies or in disaster areas.

Kolawole, who commended health workers and those in the frontline, particularly Red Cross volunteers for their emergency response in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, said “we must observe the safety protocols to the least detail; we must also protect ourselves while saving lives.”

She appealed to individuals and corporate organisations to help the Red Cross to fulfill its humanitarian activities through donations, sponsorships and partnerships.

She added that “we need Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), ambulance and working vehicles.

“We also need funds to mobilise our volunteers; getting to the site of a disaster for some volunteers is challenging because they lack funds.

“We give them money to encourage them. After the work, we provide them with food and money to pay the fare back home.”

On fire disasters, Kolawole said the incidences were too numerous and challenging for emergency response organisations.

She observed that some fires incidents were caused by tanker explosions due to bad roads, and some drivers drive under the influence of alcohol, while some vehicles had faulty brakes, leading to accidents.

“The fire outbreaks and tanker explosions are something that gives disaster managers serious concern.

“Government should come up with lasting solutions; there should be policies and guidelines for the tanker drivers,” she said.