Coronavirus: Buhari’s daughter returns home after self-isolation

A daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari has returned home after undergoing 14 days self-isolation.

PREMIUM TIMES reported on March 19 how the first lady, Aisha Buhari, announced that one of her daughters returned from the UK and went into self-isolation required of anybody returning to the country since the coronavirus was declared a pandemic.

Mrs Buhari said the unnamed daughter showed no symptoms of the deadly coronavirus but heeded the medical advice to people coming into the country from high-risk countries.

Back home

Announcing her return via her official twitter handle, an elated first lady said it was a thing of ‘joy’ to receive her unnamed daughter after being away from the family for two weeks.

“It is a thing of joy & gratitude to Almighty God to reunite with my daughter after she had been in isolation for 14 days immediately she landed in Nigeria. While I’m wishing all those infected for a speedy recovery, I pray for the end of this,” she wrote.

Pandemic

Despite lockdown and other preventive measures, Nigeria has seen a slow increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19, a rare strain of the coronavirus which has been wrecking havoc across the world.

Many of these cases are found in people returning from high-risk countries and to this end, authorities advised returnees to submit themselves for checks at the airport and also observe 14 days self-isolation as a necessary step. It takes 14 days for the full symptoms to manifest.

Many returnees including politically exposed persons have been flouting this advisory which is being enforced in many nations.

This prompted a troubled Nigerian health minister to ask Nigerians to help the government report any returnee not observing the safety routine.

President Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, who recently returned from Germany and tested positive, had raised alarm over the breach of safety protocols by several Nigerian lawmakers upon arrival into the country.

Apart from Mr Kyari, several persons in Nigeria’s high political class are now infected after they returned from countries with high cases of the disease or came in contact with those who did.

Their status suggests possible exposure of many others, whom they had met with in the past days, to the pandemic.

The vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and several state governors, went on self-isolation after coming in contact with those infected.

On Thursday evening, Nigeria reported 10 new cases, bringing to 184 the total tally.

The total number of states which have reported at least a confirmed case of COVID-19 in Nigeria is still 12 and the FCT.