THE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) says all the individuals that were not properly kitted during the burial of Abba Kyari, the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari  have been identified and isolated.

The FCTA added that a man seen in a viral video pulling off his Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in an unprofessional manner moments after taking part in the burial of late Kyari has also been identified and isolated.

A statement issued Saturday evening by Mohammed Kawu, the acting Secretary of the FCTA Health and Human Services Secretariat disclosed that the Public Health Department has since taken necessary action.

“The said PPE left over by the individual has been professionally evacuated and the entire cemetery has been decontaminated,” Kawu said.

“In addition, all the individuals including the man in question that participated in the burial and were not properly kitted have been identified and are being isolated.”

He added that necessary tests would be conducted on all of them to determine their level of exposure and ensure that they do not infect other people.

“The Administration has also taken steps to ensure that all future burials of victims of COVID 19 are conducted in line with protocols established by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).”

Kawu urged residents to remain calm and rest assured that the FCT Administration would continue to do all that is necessary to curtail and eventually end the spread of the Coronavirus in the FCT.

There was a public outcry after a one minute fifty-five seconds video surfaced online showing how the unidentified man unprofessionally pulled off his Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

The man was captured in the video to have left the the burial ground with the PPE and was among the five personnel who laid the corpse of the late Chief of Staff to the president  to rest at Gudu cemetery, Abuja.

Unethical interment

After a close monitoring of the live broadcast of the burial rites of the late  Chief of Staff, The ICIR noted that the process was in contrast with the laid down rules and guidelines of Safe Management of a Dead Body by World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC).

According to the NCDC guide, “Family members, religious leaders, health care workers or mortuary staff
preparing the body should wear appropriate PPE according to standard precautions (gloves, impermeable disposable gown [or disposable gown  with impermeable apron, medical mask, eye protection).

However, none of the mourners at the interment wore any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) except the personnel of the NCDC.

The late Chief of Staff to President of Nigeria died almost 25 days after he tested positive for coronavirus.