CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Coronavirus pandemic 2019 (COVID-19) is the most recent infectious disease to spread fast over the world (Van Doremalen, 2020) and become a severe global pandemic (McDowel, 2020). COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which first appeared in Wuhan, China in 2010 [WHO, 2020]. The coronavirus disease epidemic (COVID-19) has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), affecting numerous nations, including Nigeria.
Coronaviruses (COVID-19) are single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses with diameters ranging from 60 to 140 nanometers with spike-like projections on their surfaces, giving them a crown-like appearance. Their viral genomes are RNA genomic and range in length from 26 to 32 kilobases. COVID-19 is a member of the Nidovirales order, which also includes the families Roniviridae, Arteriviridae, and Coronaviridae. The Coronviridae family is divided into two subfamilies: Torovirinae and Coronavirinae. Coronavirinae is divided into four subgroups: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. The taxonomy of these virus subtypes is based on phylogenetic grouping. It can be isolated from a variety of animals. The first instance of coronavirus was reported in 1960, and a Canadian investigation in 2001 discovered roughly 500 individuals with a flu-like system, with 17 to 18 cases confirmed as Coronavirus infection by polymerase chain reaction.
Livestock, birds, and mammals like bats, camels, masked palm civets, dogs, mice, and cats are among them. In 2003, several reports were published about the spread of Coronavirus in a number of countries, including Hong Kong, the United States of America, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan, where there were several cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by Coronavirus, with over 1000 patients dying.
A pandemic is a disease outbreak that affects multiple countries or continents at the same time. It affects more people and kills more people than an epidemic, which the World Health Organization (WHO) labeled a pandemic when it became obvious that the illness was severe and spreading rapidly across a large area. The global spread of pandemic Covid-19 has disrupted the world’s educational, political, social, economic, religious, and financial structures. The world’s most powerful economies, including the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and others, are on the verge of collapsing. Aside from that, stock markets around the world have been hammered, and oil prices have plummeted. In less than a week, 3.3 million Americans claimed for unemployment benefits, while another 6.6 million began looking for work. Many economic and financial professionals have also expressed concern about the global economic and financial structure’s deterioration.
The emergence of this virus in Nigeria resulted in a slew of limitations across the board, as the virus was declared communicable and lethal by the World Health Organization.
The federal government regulated the use of face masks, social distancing, and the use of sanitizers in washing hands and cleaning surfaces in order to control and manage the spread of the virus in Nigeria. These safety precautions are applicable to all sectors, including academic institutions. However, prior to the commencement of classes, the Nigerian government advised all schools to ensure that Covid-19 safety procedures are followed. As a result, the extent to which secondary schools in Asaba Delta State Nigeria comply with those mandatory safety measures, as well as other parts of Nigeria, has been unknown.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Coronavirus illness is communicated mostly through coughing or sneezing with an infected individual. It can also spread when a person touches a virus-infected surface or object and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth.
Covid-19 is a horrific and fatal disease that has the potential to kill people of all ages, including children, adolescents, youths, and adults, all over the world.
Since the first outbreak of the virus in Nigeria, the Nigerian government has mandated the implementation of preventative measures in secondary schools across the country. According to the World Health Organization, which is in line with the Nigerian government, these stated measures include: constant use of face masks, constant hand washing (for which schools are to provide water and soup at strategic areas in the school premises before the students enter the school), use of hand sanitizers, maintaining social distancing by arranging the classroom to comply with this, and avoiding touching of surfaces. However, in Nigeria, the majority of secondary schools are overcrowded, and the rate of law evasion and negligence among teenagers (secondary school pupils) is alarming. Carlis (2003) claims that pupils in secondary school are the majority of teenagers who enjoy the execution of their free will and are executors and emulators of their peer group.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The primary goal of this research is to determine the level of Covid-19 safety compliance in secondary schools. Other specific goals include the following:
To determine whether secondary school pupils in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria, follow the Covid-19 safety precautions.
To determine how well students adhere to the covid-19 preventative measures?
To determine the extent to which secondary school employees and management in Asaba adhere to the covid-19 preventive measures?
Examine the frequency with which a government monitory team visits secondary schools in Asaba to check that the schools are following the covid-19 preventative measures completely and consistently.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. Does the Covid-19 safety preventative measure apply to secondary school children in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria?
2. How well do pupils follow the preventative guidelines?
3. How well do pupils follow the preventative guidelines?
4. How often does the government monitory team visit secondary schools in Asaba to ensure that all of the covid-19 preventative measures are being followed by the schools?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study will be of enormous value to the federal and state governments since it will reveal the condition of compliance among secondary school pupils in Asaba Delta State, as well as the gaps created by enforcement authorities, resulting in irregular adherence to Covid 19 laws and limits. And the recommendations will have a significant impact on how the limits are tightened. The study, on the other hand, will assist school stakeholders in determining the best strategy to safeguard the safety of pupils. This research will be useful to students, researchers, and scholars who may want to conduct further research on this or a comparable topic in the future.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
Only selected secondary schools in Asaba Metropolis, Delta State Nigeria, were studied for the examination of Covid-19 Safety Compliance Level in Secondary Schools.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
The act of obeying and observing what is authorized and legal is known as compliance.
Transportation Company: A transportation company transfers freight from one point to another and is an important part of the manufacturing value chain.
Covid 19: Also known as coronavirus, this is a contagious respiratory disease produced by a novel coronavirus strain that causes illness in humans.
Government: The body of people who make up a political unit’s or organization’s governing authority: for example, the officials who make up a political unit’s governing body and make up the organization as an active agency.
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