Kyari’s Burial: Keep off Aso Villa, isolate, Presidency orders journalists, Others
The Presidency has ordered all State House Correspondents and media office staff who covered the funeral prayer and burial ceremony of the late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Malam Abba Kyari, to go into isolation for 14 days.
The order to work from home and keep off the the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in the mean time, according to an advisory signed by the Deputy Director of Information at the State House, Mr Attah Esa was “a precautionary measure.”
Abba Kyari died on Friday night in Lagos as a result of coronavirus complications, and was flown back to Abuja Saturday morning for funeral prayers and interment.
Many had observed, however, that the protocol established by the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, for burial of COVID-19 victims were grossly breached in the course of the rites.
Specifically, social distancing was said be utterly ignored by the large crowd that thronged the Gudu cemetery where the body of the deceased CoS was laid to rest, while some sympathisers and undertakers also failed to wear face masks and hand gloves as required.
A video of one of those who participated in the burial but failed to dispose his personal protective equipment professionally also went viral in the social media soon after the burial was concluded.
“As a precautionary measure, all State House Correspondents and Media Office Staff who covered/attended the funeral prayer/burial ceremony of the late Chief of Staff, at Defence House and Gudu Cemetery Abuja, respectively, are strongly advised to work from home for the next 14 days.
“Please be careful to observe the recommended measures to prevent the coronavirus transmission, including maintaining physical distancing and good personal hygiene going forward,” the advisory by Mr Esa read.
Recall that the number of media houses accredited to cover the State House was drastically reduced earlier as part of measures to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease.
